This Christmas
by Shipperony10
Summary: Tony and Pepper celebrate a real Christmas season together. Promises to be fluffy and nice with a little bit of trouble making and a little bit of naughty.
1. Chapter 1

**This Christmas**

Disclaimer: Nope. On my Christmas wish list, though. Here's a hopin'.

Authors Note: Again, I will deviate for a bit from Risks and Consequences. Not because I am getting bored (which is not the case at all), but because it's the season for holiday stories, and I used to write holiday stories every year so why not this year, right? This is just a little something to get us all excited about the season with some really fluffy Pepperony! Feeling especially fluffy today since I created a Robert Downey Jr. station on Pandora (highly recommend it to you all). I will post two chapters today and the rest this weekend. Enjoy! Sorry for any mistakes.

AN:2 Takes place post-Avengers.

* * *

**Seasons Reasons**

For as long as he could remember, Christmas was no different than any other time of the year. The only things that separated it from any other festivities were the excessively decorated homes, and the overly cheery people.

He didn't hate the season, not at all. In fact, every year since Pepper had started working for him, he had made it routine to have her and Happy order the tallest tree that could fit through his front door. He was just detached from it all.

This year was different, though. As much as it pained him to admit that he was indeed one of those cheerful people now, he couldn't deny that the change in his spirits was due in large to his very beautiful assistant-turned-CEO-turned-lover. Pepper Potts had helped him in every way possible. From a dark cave in Afghanistan to the stretches of never ending space.

It was not impossible to believe that he craved to enjoy every moment, including holidays, in her company.

So while sitting on one of the balcony loungers, with a blanket wrapped around him and his coffee mug in hand, he vowed to make his first real Christmas a memorable one. For himself, and for Pepper.

The early morning sea breeze blew around him when he heard the glass down slide open. A gentle smile graced his face, happy to have her join him for a viewing of the Malibu sunrise.

"Good morning, beautiful." Tony sipped from his Stark Industries mug without facing her.

"Good morning." Pepper wrapped her robe tighter around her body. The breeze suddenly sent a cold chill down her arms and legs. "I figured you'd be out here."

"Of course. It's going to be a good one, today." This time he did take his eyes off of the open Pacific to look at his other half. He noticed her shiver immediately. "Come here." He moved to set the mug on the small table to his left. Pepper walked towards him with a smile as he scoot back to make room for her in between his legs. With arms wide open and the blanket hanging on his arms like wings, he invited her in.

The chill that had struck her earlier suddenly had a similar effect on him. "It's cold today." Pepper shook again to ward off the cold.

"Yeah it is. Get in here so I can wrap the blanket back up around us. I'm freezing my butt off now." He chuckled.

A few moments later, Pepper sat nestled in between Tony's legs. Her back firmly against his chest with his arms around her middle. They trembled together once again before Tony finally and securely cocooned them in the blanket. Pepper laughed softly. "I don't know how I used to spend my childhood days in the snow back east."

"Baby fat." He chuckled as he wrapped his arms more tightly around her.

"Anthony Stark, are you calling me fat?" She playfully pinched his upper leg.

"Ow. No…statistically and biologically speaking we all have more body fat when we are kids. Used for various bodily processes and what not. Mostly by amino acids for the formation of protein chains." Pepper shook her head slowly as he, like always, got carried away by science. "Anyway, I'd say that helped keep you warm back when you used to make snow angels as a kid."

"Uh huh. Good save." She extended her arm out from underneath the blanket to take a quick gulp of the warm liquid in his mug.

The temperature slowly warmed as the first of the sun rays lit up the sky. Usually people hoped for clear skies when sky gazing, but Tony and Pepper were fans of cloudy sunrises and sunsets. They were more surreal and picturesque. So they both sighed happily when they realized some stubborn clouds had stayed put and provided for a very stunning sunrise.

As the sun continued its upward journey, Tony looked down to the woman in his arms. The warmth in his heart radiated throughout his body as he felt her breathe against him. Nothing or no one could or had ever made him feel the way he felt now. Pepper was a special creature. Strong and determined yet soft and loving. His balance. Heaven-sent he was sure, and he loved her more than anything. Which is why as she sat before him, and unconsciously caressed his crossed arms with her palms, he sent a skyward promise to marry her someday.

"I can hear you think back there." Pepper craned her neck a bit to look to him out of the corner of her eye. Her grin fully in place.

"What am I thinking, Pep?" He bent forward slightly to place a soft kiss on her earlobe.

"Knowing you, probably something about rewiring Jarvis. Or how to improve the Mark VIII."

With a small laugh Tony pulled her closer. "You're horrible at this game."

"Enlighten me, then."

"Well…" He began to shift her in his arms so he could look at her blue eyes. "It's simple really." Pepper smiled at his sudden apparent nervousness. "I was thinking about you. And I was thinking about me. I was thinking about how much I love you. And how you probably bewitched me because there's no way that I came to my senses on my own. I'm a genius, but not when it comes to knowing what's really worth my devotion and my…love." He paused to look back out at the ocean.

"Tony?" She knitted her eyebrows together in concern. "Are you ok? You're not dying again, are you? You better tell me right now if you are."

"No." He breathed out. "I'm not dying. I promise. Feeling more alive than ever, actually." Tony smiled sweetly before he kissed her softly.

"Mmm." Pepper murmured against his lips. "Me, too. I love you."

No more words were needed between them as they fell deeper into each other's embrace. Wanting to feel more of her, Tony carefully reclined the seat and moved Pepper to rest fully over him. He ran his fingers through her delicate hair while she continued to kiss him. Their hands roamed and sighs of yearning could be heard coming from both of their busy lips.

It wasn't long before they became so engrossed with each other's skin that they forgot about the blanket around them. The cloth fell at their sides as Tony opened Pepper's robe to run his hands under her shirt. His hands were warm from having been covered, but somehow she still quivered at his touch. Her response to his fingers earned her a grin against her mouth.

Tony's grin soon disappeared as the strong and determined Pepper that he had fallen for unleashed a little revenge. She made enough space between them in order to remove his black t-shirt and toss it off to the side. It was her turn to grin when he shuddered at the sensation of the cool December air hitting his flushed skin.

"Not fair." He spoke in between heated kisses.

"Sore loser." She smiled victoriously back at him.

Tony shook his head. "I always win." He took it upon himself to flip them so she lay under him with her robe partially on. "Trust me." She was so captivated by his arrogance that she never once protested as he completely removed her robe.

His skin was on fire, and suddenly Tony became very aware of the fact that the wind had picked up around them. He broke their kiss long enough to reach down for the blanket and drape it over their bodies. Once he was satisfied that they would not be completely exposed to the crispness of the morning, he continued to assault her body.

Articles of clothing were lost underneath them, on the floor next to them, or flung away from them.

They laughed softly in between caresses. He moaned against her neck when she ran her fingers tips down the length of his back. She inhaled deeply to steady herself every time he nipped at the spot below her earlobe. Needless to say, they were leaving no spot untouched. Every stroke had feeling. And every moan echoed had meaning.

It wasn't until the sun cleared the clouds that they lay happily satiated in each other's arms. The blanket twisted with their limbs.

Pepper's head rested comfortably near his arc reactor as he ran his arm up and down her back. Neither one of them wanted to leave the spot where they lay. The peacefulness of it all steadying their hearts. They heard the waves crash against the cliff side.

Tony sighed. "Best sunrise, yet."

"I would have to agree." Pepper buried her face closer to his chest. "So what were you doing out here before I crashed your party?" She asked.

"Actually, I was thinking about Christmas." He continued to smooth his palm over her back.

"Yeah? What about Christmas?" It had been twelve years since she had first met Tony. And since day one she knew the holidays were of no particular importance to him. She hoped he wouldn't be thinking they should skip them all together now that they were a couple.

"Well..." he paused and moved his neck a bit to look at her. "I was thinking it should be different this year. I want you and I to go pick out a tree. At a lot. No more ordering it online and having Happy pick it up for me. And then I thought maybe we could decorate it...together. Go all out."

"Wow, Tony. Are you sure?" She looked curiously up at his browns.

"Of course I'm sure! I'd say let's decorate the mansion, but that's a lot of structure to cover. Could be dangerous. And if Iron Man did it, that would leave you out of the fun."

"Tony, the tree idea is great. Let's do it." She moved up to kiss him.

"Alright. Today." He whispered after their kiss.

"Today?"

"Yeah. It's December. Gives us the time to really enjoy our tree."

Pepper sighed happily at Tony's plan. "Sounds good to me."

"Hey what do you think about a Santa Claus outfit?" Tony waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

She couldn't help but roll her eyes at his question. "Oh, brother."

**To be continued...**

**By the way, did you guys watch the Japanese trailer for Iron Man 3 that was released today?! Oh my wow! My Pepperony-loving heart couldn't take the cuteness. I was jumping like a young school girl. I cannot wait to see our duo share in some fluffy moments on screen.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Oh…Christmas Tree**

"Tony that tree is twenty-two feet tall!" Pepper tried in vain to move Tony away from the massive tree his eyes had fallen upon.

"Yeah it is. And it's ours. Done deal. Let's take it." Tony unlaced his fingers from hers and spun around to look for a sales person. "Where are they?"

"Tony, let's look at another tree. There's plenty to look at. Other sizes." She knew she wouldn't tear him away from the tree unless she walked away.

When he realized she had left him talking to himself about the dimensions of tree, she had already stalked off into another isle of trees.

"Pep! Wait!" He rounded the isle and spotted her talking to a tall and very handsome salesman.

"Well, I wouldn't recommend a Douglas Fir if you like the fresh pine smell. They're nice trees. And they're full, but they don't give off as strong of an aroma." He smiled widely at Pepper as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Um-" Pepper was just about to speak when Tony interrupted her.

"Hey baby. I found the tree. It's perfect. Just like you." Tony walked tall with a confidence in his step that told her he was show casing his peacock feathers. He was jealous. She wanted to laugh when he behaved like a possessive caveman. It was always a funny sight.

He moved to stand beside her with his arm draped around her waist.

"Tony..." Pepper looked to him and to the salesman. "I was just telling Mr..."

"Andrew." The salesman smiled at her, but dropped it when he caught Tony's serious smirk. He was about to retreat his hand when Tony shook it firmly.

"Stark. Tony Stark...of Stark Industries." Pepper rolled her eyes with a grin. 'Oh boy.'

"Right. Well, Mr. Stark, I was just telling this lovely lady the difference between Douglas and Noble Firs." He turned his attention back to Pepper. She only flashed them a small smile and snuggled closer to Tony in an attempt to let him know he was being silly.

"Were ya? Must have missed it. I'd love to know the difference, too." Tony responded.

The man knitted his eyebrows. He knew Stark was pulling his leg. Probably trying to pound on his chest in front of his lady. "Well Douglas Firs-"

"Um, Andrew...don't worry about it. I'll explain it to him. We'll just walk around some more, thank you." Pepper stopped the man before he could go any further. If he valued his life and sanity, he would thank her later and walk away. Jealous Tony could drive people crazy going in circles with irrational answers in the form of questions.

Tony turned to her with a grin in place. "So the twenty footer?"

Pepper kissed his cheek and left him standing there. "Let's go, caveman. We need a tree." She called over her shoulder.

"Hey. You're upset aren't you? Don't be upset. He was drooling all over you. I rescued you." Tony argued as he caught up to her. "You know, it was extremely rude that-"

"You were extremely rude." She eyed him from the corner of her eye. "What do you think about this one?" She stopped them in front of a full Noble Fir that stood seven feet tall.

"I don't believe I was rude." He looked at the tree. "Too short. But honestly the guy could have at least apologized for-"

"Apologized? Come on Tony." She kept walking the isle of trees.

"Yes."

"Drop it."

"Apologize for ogling you in front of-"

"Tony!"

"Yes?" He looked up from where his eyes watched the ground that moved beneath his feet.

"Stop it."

"Stop what?"

She was annoyed at his nonchalant dismissal. "The guy was trying to sell a tree. No harm done. Besides, I didn't find him even remotely good looking." She caught Tony's devilish smile.

"You didn't?" He walked towards her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Not one bit. How could I? You've spoiled me for the male species. I could never look at another man again. You're Iron Man. How could they ever compete?"

"Right? I thought so. I mean I know you weren't looking at him, but you know he was looking at you. And he was-"

Tony's rambling was silenced by Pepper's lips on his. After a few seconds of limited oxygen, Tony pulled back to grin and catch his breath. "You're something else." Pepper stated tenderly while fixing the lapels of his coat.

"Thank you." Tony leaned in to kiss her cheek. "Let's go find a tree."

Of course, his heart was set on having that twenty foot tree decorated in his main living room, but Pepper had made a good argument against it.

"The car will never make it home safely with that monster of a tree strapped to the roof."

"I'm Iron Man, Pepper. Why can't I just fly it back home?"

"Because that will leave me out of the fun."She stated matter-of-factly. Reiterating his words from that morning.

"Only for a little while. You'll still be able to decorate it."

"Tony, no. It's way too big. It's Christmas over kill."

After many attempts to cajole Tony into thinking smaller, and him having brushed off most of said attempts, the pair finally decided to compromise.

They really could stand there, in the cold afternoon air, arguing until early dusk about this. So Tony decided he'd be the one to give in. This time. But nothing came without a prize, and that is exactly what he had in mind when he grinned at her. "What?" Pepper sighed. That grin meant he had a plan, and most of his plans made her nervous.

"I see a great tree right behind you. But don't turn around." He took both of her hands in his.

Pepper rolled her eyes playfully. "State your terms, Stark."

"That's why I love you. You know me so well, Potts.' He paused in thought. 'I'll agree to…let's say…a fourteen-footer if and only if…one, I can fly it back myself since it will still be too big for the car and two…"

* * *

A couple of hours later Pepper stood on one of the steps of the ladder trying to hang a red sphere. She shifted uncomfortably as she reached out to the tree with the ornament in hand, and tried to hold the short skirt in place with the other hand. The ladder wobbled a bit, and Tony laughed at the frightened and annoyed expression she wore on her face.

He rushed to hold the ladder safely in place while she looked down at him red faced. "You think this is funny?" She demanded an answer.

"A little, yes." He continued to laugh. "You look gorgeous, though."

"I don't know why I agreed to this." Pepper tried very hard to pull down the skirt that was slowly inching higher and higher on her legs.

"Because you wanted a smaller tree. And your handsome boyfriend happened to conjure up a compromise that we could both agree to." He winked.

"I now realize that this plan was a win-win for you. All I got out of this was a tree."

"If you recall, I did ask how you felt about a Santa outfit. I'm _still _willing to wear one for you if you're game."

"Ugh." Pepper hung another ornament as she felt her chest constrict even more in the overly fitted top she was wearing. "Seriously, Tony…a Santa outfit doesn't possess any sex appeal. That would be another loss for me." She managed to smile teasingly despite her discomfort.

"Funny. Because that elf piece you're wearing is doing funny things to my insides." His eyes traveled the length of her legs, smooth and toned. Slowing at her firm bottom that was accentuated by the form-hugging green skirt. Stopping for a few seconds to memorize the way it looked so snug in the cloth. The delicate way the matching top fell at her waist, one of his favorite spots to rest his hands on as they walked together or slept. A lump formed in his throat when his eyes finally stopped on her breasts and the way they looked in the confines of the white blouse. He cleared his throat.

"Enjoying the view?" She asked when she caught him staring.

"Uh, what? Yeah. Sorry. What?" He shook his head and brought his gaze to hers.

"You're incorrigible, Anthony Stark."

Tony didn't say anything, but winked at her again as he helped her off the ladder.

As soon as both of her feet touched the bottom step, Tony gripped her hips firmly to lift her towards him. Almost reflexively, as if her legs had a mind of their own, Pepper wrapped herself around his waist. Her arms soon followed to lock behind his neck. Tangled up in each other's arms they stared at one another for the longest seconds of their lives. Her eyes glistened while his slowly closed with every centimeter his lips neared hers.

He hadn't been lying when he voiced that her elf ensemble had excited him. She could feel his hunger in the way he kissed her and held her close. She could feel him walk back towards his destination until his legs hit the arm and they fell, almost in slow motion, and landed on the cushions beneath them.

"You should wear this every day." Tony uttered as he bit her bottom lip softly.

"In your dreams." She used her hands on either side of his head to balance her weight on the couch.

"Definitely." He nodded.

They kissed softly, passionately, distractedly. So much so that they never heard the footsteps that led to where they were.

"Hey Tony-" Rhodey looked up from his iPhone screen just in time to witness the heated exchange between the couple. Shocked and a bit embarrassed, Pepper shot up and cleared her throat. "Oh man." Rhodey turned around to face the entrance to the room. "I'm sorry guys." He puffed out a breath of regret. Not only because he interrupted their moment, but because he could have lived his whole life not having laid eyes on Tony sucking face with his dear friend, Pepper.

"Um, it's alright Rhodey." Pepper struggled to tuck her blouse into the tiny skirt. She realized shortly thereafter that no amount of making herself presentable could cover up the fact that she was wearing the skimpiest costume ever. A sigh escaped her lips, and she settled for tucking loose and wild strands of hair behind her ears.

All the while Tony lay pinned between the couch and her body, but didn't complain one bit. Except at the intrusion. "You know what Platypus, I'm taking your access codes away. From now on, you have to ask _me_ for permission to enter the building." He threatened his friend before he looked back to Pepper as she straddled his hips. His hands tucked leisurely behind his head.

"That's fine with me." Rhodey replied with his back to them. "I didn't need to see that."

Pepper cleared her throat again and moved to lift herself off of Tony. "What-what's up Rhodey?" Pepper questioned as she sat on the arm of the couch with her legs tightly crossed.

"I needed to ask Tony something. But obviously you guys are…occupied with…decorating."

"Oh…right…we were decorating the..." Pepper looked around as she forgot what they had been doing before their small make-out session. 'Wow. Can't let Tony know that.' She rolled her eyes. Her stare came to rest upon the not so unobtrusive partially decorated tree. "…Christmas tree."

"Right. Well-" He continued and struggled not to laugh at the exchange.

"I'm sure it can wait. Right Rhodes?" Tony finally stepped in as he sat up close to Pepper.

"Yeah. I'll come back later." Rhodey started to walk out of the main living room, but paused soon after the first few steps. "No. Wait. Listen bud, I was wondering, well, the Air Force was wondering if you could do some kind of meet and greet with the families of servicemen overseas. Would you be willing to do it?"

He wanted to do it. It sounded like a nice thing to do, but he also wanted to spend as much of the holidays as he could with Pepper. Who knew how much that would actually be since SHIELD could call the Avengers in as they pleased. Tony was in mid thought when Pepper nudged him. He looked up at her and saw the smile on her face. She nodded to him. He grinned. 'Here we go with the compromising.' Pepper sighed. "I'll do it, Sour Patch. Only if Pepper can come along as my…helper."

"No way!" Pepper replied incredulously. "I am _not_ dressing like this in front of those families, Tony. You're out of your mind."

Rhodey turned to face his friends and finally let out the laugh he had been holding in. "Pepper's right, man."

"I'll rephrase my terms." He scratched his goatee. "Only if Pepper can come as my very modestly dressed helper."

Rhodey contemplated while he smiled. "Elf costume?"

"No." Pepper was quick to state her own negotiations. "I'll go as his assistant slash girlfriend slash co-CEO, Pepper Potts. In business attire."

"You're no fun." Tony pouted.

"Make it casual attire and you're in." Rhodey pointed. "We want to make this a personal appearance, not a business one."

"Agreed." Pepper nodded in response.

"So _no_ elf costume?" Tony pouted again.

"Nope. Sorry, honey." Pepper smiled before she ran her fingers through his short hair. He in turn, smiled shyly at Rhodey, unfamiliar with sharing his personal moments of affection with him around.

Sensing that Tony was uncomfortable, Rhodey spoke. "Alright, bud. So the event is in a week. Edwards. Be there at five. We'll have dinner for you." Tony nodded. "Pepper, see you later. Sorry I barged in on you." He smiled apologetically at her.

"It's alright, Rhodey. We'll see you later."

Their friend swiftly turned and exited the room, leaving the pair grinning from ear to ear. They quickly faced other and laughed. "Awkward." Tony said flatly with a look that made Pepper laugh harder.

"Definitely." She covered her red face. "I look ridiculous." She shook her head.

Tony chuckled as he took one of her hands off her face and pulled at it. He set her on his lap and wrapped his arms around her middle. "You look…sexy." He kissed her cheek. "Now where were we?" In a smooth transition he moved his lips from her cheek to the hollow of her neck.

"We were decorating the Christmas tree." She shook off the chills that took over her body as he kissed that one spot he loved, and impishly pushed at his chest to get up. Upon seeing his frown, she added, "I don't believe our compromise included any canoodling."

"It was implied." He hesitantly stood to meet her by the tree.

"You're a man of details. Next time be thorough and specify."

"Oh, Pepper." He smirked. "What would I do without you?"

"Absolutely nothing." Pepper replied and picked up where she left off with the decorating.

**To be continued...**

**Sorry for any mistakes.**


	3. Chapter 3

****Thank you all for your comments and follows! I will get to replying to you all tomorrow. I am exhausted, but I wanted to leave you all with this chapter before I call it a night. Please excuse my typos, I'm back to posting using my phone. You gotta do what you gotta do right. Do enjoy, though...mistakes and all! Good night.

* * *

**I'll Be Home For Christmas**

She rummaged through his entire side of the walk-in closet looking for a suit to match her wardrobe. Rhodey had insisted she keep it casual, so she chose to wear a nice fitted blue dress, not unlike the black one she wore to the Stark Expo.

"Tony!" Pepper spoke into the screen at the end of the closet as she unhooked various pieces of clothing for his outfit.

"Yes,sweetie?" His grinning face appeared on the video conference screen.

"We're leaving in twenty minutes, and you're not even close to being ready." She placed her hands on her hips.

"Yeah ok. I'll be up there in a sec."

Pepper nodded to herself when she was satisfied with her appearance in the full-length mirror. Her hair was up in an elegant ponytail, and her make up was flawless. She smoothed the dress over her hips and down her legs.

"You look beautiful, Pep." Tony spoke from the bedroom door.

"Thank you." She casually turned to meet his stare. "You look...good enough to eat." She winked at him and walked towards him.

"Well you know, I look good in anything so..." He shrugged and chuckled when Pepper rolled her eyes and adjusted his blue tie. Her stomach suddenly filled with jittery butterflies at the smell of his cologne. She loved his cologne. And the outfit she had chosen for him really did make him look incredibly gorgeous. She loved his black slacks, not too loose and not too tight, except where they needed to be. They really did something for his toned butt. "Pepper?" She smiled when he caught her deep in thought. If he only knew that some times her mind was just as bad as his.

"Are you going to be too confined in the suit with the sweater vest and the blazer?" Pepper asked when she smoothed his vest over his abs.

"I'll be alright. I'll only be in the suit for a while. Give the kids a show and what not." Tony leaned in to kiss her and he did so firmly. "We should go before you eat me with a spoon." Her laughter filled their room at his comment and smirk.

* * *

The Stark Industries G650 ran smoothly down the runway as they touched down at Edwards Air Force Base. "Tony are you here?" Pepper had the smart screen on before her. His heads up display from within the suit gave her a view of the sky and numerous gauges and measures.

"Right behind you, baby." The image on the screen spun as he wheel-barreled through the sky. She smiled. Knowing that when he was flying in the suit, he turned into a kid at an amusement park.

"See you on the tarmac." She cut the feed before she exited the jet and met Rhodey on the strip.

"No elf costume, sweet." Rhodey teased as he hugged her. She merely huffed and shook her head. "I thought he might try to persuade you."

"Not this time." Her smile widened. "Shall we?" Pepper pointed in the direction of the hangars. "He's right behind us. He'll meet us on the tarmac."

They walked side by side when Rhodey spoke into his iPhone. "Open the doors, Iron Man is on his way." He turned his head to look at Pepper. A pretty wide smile graced his features. "The kids are going to love this."

Just as he finished his sentence, the doors to a couple of hangars slid open to reveal their inhabitants. Families, children, mothers, fathers, wives, and siblings all stood simultaneously from the dinner tables to walk towards the opening. Smiles on each face.

"Wow, Rhodey." Pepper looked at him as they walked to the crowd. "Great turn out." He smiled and nodded.

A significant and familiar roar could be heard in the sky. Rhodey and Pepper stopped and turned to look up. A few feet behind them they could hear commotion and excited squeals from the kids in attendance.

Tony quickly spotted Pepper standing with Rhodey and the crowd of families. He smiled with a familiar feeling of excitement. There was no doubt that he loved to fly in the suit. But Tony liked another thing equally as much. The landing. He reduced his speed and readied himself. The kids grew louder as he neared.

Flaps. Thrusters. Speed. Ready.

The kids yelled with delight as they saw their favorite superhero get closer. Their families all steadied their cameras.

Iron Man touched down in his famous pose. Right foot firmly on the ground, left knee nearly touching the cement beneath him, and his right armored fist planted. Cameras flashed and cheers erupted. "The eagle has landed." Tony spoke in his helmet as he looked up to the crowd.

"Iron Man! Iron Man!" Each kid tried to yell the loudest to get his attention. Tony stood up and waved a red metal clad hand at them.

Rhodey walked slowly to him. Careful not to get the kids rowdy and stampeding towards them. "Good to see you, Tony."Rhodey patted his shoulder. "Want to let the kids have their fill now or after dinner?"

Pepper walked to stand beside Tony and he automatically wrapped his arm around her waist. "Let them go nuts now. Look at them..." he gestured with his head, "they're bouncing with excitement...and I'm not even Santa Claus." He waved again with his free hand. Pepper smiled up at him. "Let's do this."

The kids continued to scream for his attention. He squeezed Pepper's hip carefully before he decided to walk closer to his little fans.

"Hi kids!" Tony spoke metallically with arms outstretched. That was invitation enough as the kids all ran to him. Some kids wrapped their arms around his legs. While other taller kids hugged him at the waist. Others pulled at his hands and arms, and some just yelled from behind the huddle.

"Iron Man! You're my favorite!" One little girl in particular yelled at the top of her lungs. Tony couldn't help the smile that formed on his lips.

"Iron Man can you take me flying!" A boy asked him as he pulled on his leg.

"Not tonight, buddy." He replied. "Maybe another time." The boy's eyes widened. He had a sliver of hope to keep him happy as he didn't hear a definite 'never'.

'Iron Man are you going to lead Santa's sleigh on Christmas?" A smaller boy jumped up and down.

"If I did that what would Rudolph do?" Tony laughed when he saw the kid scratch his head. "If Rudolph's nose stops working, then maybe I can help Santa out."

"Fly super fast! I want to see you go super fast." A tall girl with red hair grabbed onto his hand.

"I can do that. Maybe in a bit, ok." He took his free hand and softly patted her head. He hadn't realized it, but his heart sped up at seeing the red-headed girl. Maybe deep down he wished that someday he could have a daughter with hair that resembled her mom's.

As if on cue, Pepper walked from behind Iron Man to meet the kids. Rhodey walked beside her. "Ms. Pepper! Ms. Pepper! Can Iron Man show us some of his powers?"

"Maybe not all of his powers, but I'm sure he'd love to show you how fast he can fly." Pepper smiled at the kids and looked to smile at Tony.

"Are you guys boyfriend and girlfriend?" A girl asked them. Tony and Pepper looked at each other and smiled, one openly and one behind a helmet.

"Um, we're best friends. And we really really like each other." Pepper answered.

"Do you love her?" An older girl asked Tony.

"Yes, I do." Tony answered her. The girl's face lit up.

"Alright kids. Let's let Iron Man say hi to your parents." Rhodey cleared the kids, and laughed when he saw them run back to their respective parents. A few stayed behind and still pulled at Tony's hands.

An hour passed as he made his rounds in the suit to greet them all. Some chatted with him about technological suggestions. Women wished him and Pepper luck with their relationship. All thanked him for his service. Tony shook his head and thanked their loved ones that served in the military.

A few people shook his hand as they thanked him for what he did in New York. To that, Tony nodded and replied "I'm glad we won". He was unsure of what else he could say. Nothing seemed fit. Especially since some of them had already lost loved ones in wars.

As Tony continued to pose for pictures and sign various autographs, Rhodey made his way to him and pulled him aside. They walked together out of the hangar when Tony caught sight of Pepper playing a hand game with a group of little girls. He smiled inwardly at her beauty. Tony lifted his face plate as they faced the runway. "What's up?"

"We have a surprise. We need your help." Rhodey spoke in a low voice. Tony nodded. "We were able to get the servicemen stateside to their families for a few days." Tony smiled at his friend. "We would like for you to be the one to reveal them to their families. They'll be in that hangar." He signaled with his eyes. "Open the hangar?"

"Sure thing, Platypus. Anything for you." Rhodey smiled and pushed Tony away from him.

"Thanks, man. I really appreciate this."

The plan they had orchestrated allowed Tony plenty of time to show the kids and the families some stunts in the suit, while the bus arrived. Allowing for the servicemen to file inside the hangar from a back entrance without being spotted.

Tony hovered above the crowd when Pepper signaled it was time. She waited for him to jet off before she made her way to the front of the families.

"Alright. We have a surprise for you all." She spoke as loud as she could. "Who wants to see it?" She looked more at kids that sat in front of the group.

"Me!" The kids raised their hands eagerly.

"Alright. But you guys have to be really quiet so everyone can hear ok." They all nodded. "Ok. Iron Man, they're ready." Pepper talked into the Smart Stark phone. She winked at Tony as he smiled back at her.

Iron Man's thrusters could be heard approaching. He hovered once again above them and spoke through his helmet. "I told you I could fly really fast right?" Everyone waited on edge. "Well, I just came back from flying across the world with the Air Force. They told me they needed someone to lead their planes, and since Rudolph is training with Santa, I stepped in." He lowered to the ground. "I got to meet a lot of superheroes."

"More than the Avengers?" A little kid asked bewildered.

Tony laughed. "Way more than the Avengers. So many that they needed not one huge plane, but two to bring them. These superheroes all told me they wanted to be home for Christmas so we made sure they got a vacation from saving the world. Do you guys want to see them?" The kids went crazy with excitement as their families stared confused. "Alright. I guess you guys are ready." Iron Man's feet clanked on the ground as he walked towards the closed hangar.

Pepper and Rhodey motioned for the families and the kids to follow him to where he was headed. Once all of them gathered before the doors, Tony slid the main door open to reveal the troops inside. "Merry Christmas everyone." Tony voiced before he moved out of the way. He walked slowly towards Pepper.

Audible gasps of shock could be heard from the adults present. Yells of glee echoed within the hangar as the kids all called to their loved ones that stood inside, still in their camouflage uniforms. The crowd quickly scattered as they each hurried to hug their families. Tears of joy filled many faces, and the happiness everyone shared was definitely palpable.

Tony breathed out a sigh as he commanded Jarvis to dismantle the Mark VII into the pod. As soon as he was free of the suit, he smoothed out his clothes and hugged Pepper tightly. "Hey, beautiful." She whispered her hello into his ear with her arms wrapped securely around his neck.

Rhodey watched in amazement at the scene before him. Content with the outcome. It hadn't been easy getting the approval to fly the troops in, but he had done it. For however long, they could all enjoy some part of the holiday season with their families.

Pepper soon pulled back from their embrace to kiss her unbelievably handsome man. "Love you." She whispered again after their kiss.

"I know." His smug reply made her chuckled and smack his chest. "And...I love you, too." He then added.

A clearing of a throat pulled them from their moment. The pair smiled and turned in unison to look at their friend standing there in front of them. His hand outstretched. "Thanks, Tony. Flawless."

He shook his hand because he offered it, but Tony knew that if anyone should be thanked, it was Rhodey. He had gone out of his way to make so many people happy. It was a truly selfless act. "Hey Platypus, I think you deserve the credit. I just went along with your plan. You were the mastermind of the operation. You did great." He pointed to the families. "Look at how happy you've made them. You've earned a ton of brownie points. Maybe you can find a single sister of someone here to tell your tale to." He teased as Rhodey looked down bashfully. "Go, man. Tell them what you did. Trust me, the ladies love a hero." He pointed at Pepper with a grin and they all shared in a small laugh.

The rest of the evening was spent sharing in conversations and smiles over dinner and music. Everyone laughed and cried over stories told and fallen troops remembered.

More pictures were taken with Tony Stark and Pepper Potts, and even more autographs were signed. And much to Pepper's surprise, the servicemen asked for her autograph as well. She smiled in agreement and signed away.

It wasn't until past midnight when the trio sat in chairs under the stars, that Tony decided to call it a night. He finished the drink in his hand and set the glass on the floor beside him before he stood.

Turning to face them he yawned. "Well Sour Patch, I think that's it for me. It's past my bedtime. And Peppers." He smiled and offered her his hand so she could stand. She wrapped her arm around his waist as he drapped his around her shoulders.

Rhodey nodded happily at his friends. "You guys look good together. I don't think I've mentioned that to you. I'm glad you guys are happy. You deserve it." He stood. "Thanks again, Tony. Pepper, thank you for not letting him ditch me." She laughed. "Get outta her man. I'll see you guys soon."

"Good night, Rhodey." Pepper hugged him before she started to walk towards their private jet.

The two men watched as she boarded the aircraft. "So what are your plans for Christmas?" Tony turned to face Rhodey."

"I don't know. I was going to fly to meet my parents in Washington, but they decided on a vacation in Italy. Can you believe that? They ditched their only son on Christmas." He shook his head playfully.

"I would choose Italy, too." Tony teased. "Come by the mansion. I want to have an evening dinner to lead us into Christmas. We can get hammered. Give Pepper a hard time. Sing Christmas songs off beat with the wrong lyrics. It'll be fun." He patted his friend on the shoulder.

"Sounds good. I'll see you guys there. Thank you." He mimicked Tony's pat. "Now go get Pepper home."

"See ya, Platypus." Tony turned and whistled Sinatra's Come Fly With Me as he walked towards the plane.

* * *

"You're not tired are you?" Tony asked Pepper as they shared a seat together. She sat comfortably on his lap with her head tucked safely in his neck.

"A little. Why?" She spoke through closed eyelids.

"I wanted to jam so we could get home. The whole night I kept thinking about you eating me with a spoon." He smirked when he felt and heard her soft laugh.

"I'm past that. At this point I'm sure I could devour you whole." She moved to kiss his neck and inhale the scent of his cologne.

Tony's eyes widened with desire. His heart sped up as he tried to control his excitement. He wrapped his arms tighter around her waist as he bent forward slightly. "Up the Mach's, Ralph! I need to get home ASAP, something's come up."

The couple laughed together as they began to kiss each other excitedly.

**To be continued...**

**I'm not sure if Rhodey's family resides/reside in Washington or whether he's an only child or not, but for the sake of my story: they do, and he is. Also, I took the liberty of naming Tony's pilot Ralph.**


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: The flowers that Thor mentions in this chapter were taken from Lord of the Rings, I believe. I asked a friend of mine to give me a name of a fictional flower, and that's what he found. Sorry if I misused it in any way, shape, or form.

Sorry for any mistakes.

* * *

**Santa Claus Is Coming To Town**

"Thanks Robin Hood, but I have a lot of work. I'm making some upgrades to the suit." Pepper turned her head to look at Tony as he came up from the workshop. He spoke into the phone and headed for the couch where she sat. "I know the Chargers are playing your Panthers." She smiled when she saw him roll his eyes at whatever Clint was telling him on the phone. She guessed it was Clint since she had heard Tony, on more than one occasion, call him every name in the book where a bow and arrow was involved. "Oh come on Green Arrow, don't get all sentimental on me. You know I love you. And I would enjoy nothing more than to drink some beers (except sneaking into the dressing room while Pepper tried on clothes during a shopping spree- which he promised her they would do today), while your team runs over the Chargers, and I threaten to buy the franchise and replace every single coach and trainer on that team. Trust me. But I'm busy. We'll have to do it another time." Pepper shook her head at the exchange. "Send me some pictures. Tell Norv I said hi."

"The boys want to have some bonding time?" Pepper asked with a grin, and turned to face the flat screen that currently played Elf. "Have you noticed that the pediatrician looks a lot like Happy?" Pepper asked curiously while she continued to watch the screen.

"Sure. And he also directed it, Pep." He answered sarcastically. "It's torture some times." Tony dropped himself next to her with a heavy sigh.

"You should go. I have some last minute papers to sign and fax anyway. Go bond."

"No way, Jose! It's not bonding. It's listening to Steve complain about how much people are relying on technology. It's telling Clint to ease up on the paranoia every time he speaks into his ear com and asks SHIELD for a scan on any possible threats in the area." He sighed yet again. "It's having to explain, in detail, every joke or sarcastic comment to a confused looking Thor. The only one that can take care of himself is Bruce." Just thinking about going to a football game with them made him shake his head.

She couldn't help but laugh at him. He was having such a hard time adjusting to being around a group of guys who were just as eccentric as him. They were all the same in that way. Each one had something that made them insufferable to the others. Steve's nostalgia and constant comparisons. Clint's inability to get out of the spy character for more than five seconds. Thor's lack of Midgard understanding. Tony's sarcastic nature. And even Bruce's tip toeing around for fear that 'the other guy' might want to make an appearance at any given change in heart rate. "So you'd rather stay here than watch a football game with a bunch of guys who just want to have some fun?" Pepper faced him and asked with knitted brows.

"No question about it." He replied with a seductive smile, hoping to get lucky no doubt.

"Wow. You really are something else. Nothing like the others."

"And by 'others' you mean the male peoples of the world?" He neared her in an attempt to kiss her.

"Precisely." Pepper leaned in and allowed him to kiss her deeply.

"And you like it?" He smiled into their kiss.

"Eh." She paused to breathe. "It kind of cancels out with everything else you do that drives me crazy."

"But it's a good crazy, and you know it." Tony grinned as he kissed her jaw.

"Could be." She pushed at his chest and forced him to look at her. "We're wasting time. Move your six, we have some shopping to do."

* * *

The four of them sat around Steve's dining room table with blank stares. Heavy sighs escaped each of them sequentially as Steve tapped his fingers annoyingly on the wooden surface. Thor shot Bruce a threatening glare when he increased the speed at which he tapped his foot on the floor.

"Sorry." Bruce shrugged ruefully.

Clint huffed and bowed his head to look at his phone, hoping against hope that Tony would change his mind and call him back. "Give it up, Barton. There's no getting Tony out of his mansion when he's locked in his workshop." Steve leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.

"We don't need him to go everywhere with us." Bruce stopped tapping his foot and looked up at his comrades.

"Aye." Thor firmly slapped his palms on the table top in agreement. "Stark is our friend, but he also has a maiden to tend to. Lady Potts is a beautiful companion. In Asgard, any man would be pleased to reside in her presence. We often court fair maiden like her by walking in fields of Niphredils. " The men stared at him with confused expressions. "You don't have those either?" Thor shook his head, remembering a similar look he received from Coulson when he described the Bilgesnipe.

"Right." Bruce nodded slowly, attempting to move away from having it explained to them. "So let's go on our own."

"Yeah, but he could have scored us first row, fifty-yard line tickets, with VIP treatment." Clint whined almost resembling a teenage boy.

"Alright, either we decide to go and leave right now before it gets any later, or we stay here and do something else." Steve looked around the table.

The blank stares were once again evident on every face. They stared at invisible spots on the table before them when they all jumped in shock. Clint's 'Eureka!' moment brought them all out of their thoughts. "Thor, you're a genius!" He slapped the god on the shoulder before he looked to the group. They all stared waiting for him to elaborate. "Tony lied. He's not working on his suit. He's going out with Pepper." Clint smiled victoriously.

Bruce chuckled and shook his head. "What does it matter, Clint?" He patted the agent on the back. "Let it go, man. We'll go without him."

Steve cleared his throat and moved to stand up but Clint stopped him, reaching across the table to keep him in place. "I have a better idea." His mischievous grin earned him multiple grunts of annoyance. "I say we spy on him."

"Seriously?" Steve asked in amazement.

"Yes." Clint answered.

"You're kidding right?" Bruce asked with the same look of bewilderment.

"No."

"You wish to follow Stark and Lady Potts around Midgard? Tis an immoral ploy. I do not expect the outcome will benefit us in any way."

"He lied to us. He can't lie to us. It's the code." Clint paused and rolled his eyes at the silence he was met with. "We're his guys, he can't ditch us for a girl."

"Ms. Potts is not just a girl." Steve spoke. "She's a lady. His lady. You can't expect him to want to hang out with you when he has her. That's silly and selfish of you."

"Yeah. Count me out." Added Bruce.

"We shall find something else to busy ourselves." Thor nodded.

"No." Clint stood up and leaned forward to look at all of them. "I'll let you guys fly the jet if you agree to do this." He wiggled his eyebrows, knowing that the men had expressed their desire to pilot the Shield jet. And knowing not one of them could pass up the deal.

And they didn't. All three nodded in defeat, who could say no to flying a jet. It was a harmless plan anyway.

"Harmless." Steve nodded.

"Right." Clint nodded back happy to have his buddies on board.

"So what's the plan?"

"We go to Stark's mansion to wait and see. Good spies always wait patiently for the suspect to make the first move, and hope that it's the wrong one." His eyes gleamed.

"I don't see anything." Bruce spoke as he used the binoculars to look towards Tony's windows.

"I see your big head in my line of sight. Get out of the way, Bruce." Clint breathed out frustrated.

The four men were packed tightly into Clint's Mini Coop. When he had forced them all to cram in, Bruce had laughed at him. The simple fact that he owned a Mini was hilarious to the scientist. "It's not my fault you own a toy car." Bruce retorted as he shifted uncomfortably in the front seat.

"I have a strange sensation in my legs. Tis a small contraption for transportation. Very uncomfortable and unpleasing." Thor attempted to hunch more in order to avoid hitting his head on the roof. He was the tightest squeeze. Being about six inches too tall, his head did hit the roof, and his knees were in his face.

"Yeah, and Thor's back here almost sitting on my lap. There's no room back here, Barton. Open the windows, I can't breathe." Steve struggled to maintain his composure as he kept a watchful eye on the mansion.

Clint rolled his eyes at the men's complaints. "It's not my fault you guys are unusually large. I happen to love my Mini. It's got speed. That's what matters."

Bruce laughed at the hilarity of the situation. Leave it to a group of large men, declared superheroes, to pack into a tiny car in order to get the opportunity to fly a jet. He continued to look through the binoculars with a smile on his face. "This is the least interesting thing I have ever done in my life."

"Zip it." Clint responded quickly as he used his binoculars to detect movement.

"I see Stark!" Thor beamed excitedly. "Lady Potts is now inside the black vehicle with the man who is happy all of the time."

A small fit of laughter erupted among them. "Thor…" Steve tried to breathe and recover. "His name _is_ Happy. He's _not_ always happy."

"Hmm." Thor knitted his eyes brows together. "That is a strange name for a Midgardian. You people are so strange."

"Yeah, yeah, anyway…" Clint focused his binoculars in the direction of the circular driveway. "I told you guys! He's getting in the car with her. Happy's driving them somewhere. He ditched us…for his girlfriend." He suddenly lowered his binoculars, looking around at the other men. The look he had was oddly enough a humorous one. Pouty. Whiny. Defeated.

"You're taking this way too hard." Bruce laughed.

The agent shook his head and shrugged. "I just thought he would want to spend some guy time with us."

Silence, which was again more amusing than depressing, filled the car.

"Alright, Barton, you've seen what you wanted to see. Let's get out of here." Steve sighed and shuffled in his uncomfortable seat next to Thor, who nodded in agreement.

The Rolls Royce exited through the open gates of the mansion. "Get down!" Clint commanded and motioned with his hand. In one quick move, the men all did as they were told. They rolled their eyes at it all and secretly hoped they would not be spotted. How ridiculous would that seem. And the explanation that it would require.

Tony laced his fingers with Peppers and brought her hand to his lips. As he smiled and lowered her hand back to onto his lap, he happened to glance out her window. He scrunched up his face as he leaned over her to nearly press his face to glass.

"What is it?" Pepper asked near his ear as she leaned towards the window, too.

"Nothing. I thought I saw Legolas's miniature car." He turned his head enough to plant a chaste kiss on her lips. "Alright, Happy, Rodeo Drive."

"No." Pepper chimed in. "Let's go to The Grove."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Ok." Tony looked back to Happy who was smiling through the rear-view mirror. "The Grove, Happy. Let's go to The Grove."

Unwinding stretches of the Pacific Coast Highway flew past them as they made their way to their destination. Unaware of the small miniature toy car that followed them from a distance. Its occupants wildly protesting against the driver.

* * *

Pepper laughed with Tony as they walked hand in hand out of the Barnes and Noble. "I can't believe you told that kid that the most exciting book in the world was _Euclid's Elements_." She shook her head.

"What?" Tony asked shocked. "It is! The kid will find out for himself when he gets to college."

"Yes, but the kid was _six_!" Pepper stated with wide eyes.

"He was?" He scratched his head. "He was a tall six year old."

"I guess him struggling to read _The Story of Ferdinand_ was not a good pointer to his age." Pepper shrugged sarcastically.

"You know what, I don't appreciate your sarcasm, Ms. Potts."

"Yeah, well, welcome to my life." She smiled widely before she looped her arm through his and walked to the next store that caught her eye.

Clint and the gang hid around the corner of a building. He was in serious stealth mode, carefully moving with cat-like reflexes, but the rest of his group looked annoyed and embarrassed at their behavior. Hiding like kids playing a game was not something they wanted to be caught doing. Especially since most people knew who they were. And most people owned phones. And Twitter accounts. And Instagram. The news would travel fast and efficiently.

"This is ridiculous, Barton!" Steve spoke through gritted teeth.

"Shh." Clint motioned with his index finger that silence was essential to their operation. Once he was satisfied that the couple would not see them, he signaled for them to follow him from behind the building. "Can you believe he'd rather be shopping than watching a football game and drinking?" Clint walked lightly. The men behind him rolled their eyes.

They followed with some distance until a loud and cheery voice stopped them in their tracks. "Oh finally!"

"What?" Steve asked perplexedly.

"You guys are late!" The young lady yelled excitedly. "Get in here and change into your outfits.

"Wait, we're not…" Bruce shook his head and raised his hands to try and stop her.

"I know you guys are not here on time, but better late than never, now come on!" The girl exclaimed. "You guys are so cute! Perfect for the occasion."

"What does this lady speak of?" Asked Thor as they walked into the Forever 21 store.

"Sally! The models are here. We need their outfits. Check and make sure we have a big one for the Greek God." She pointed over her shoulder with her thumb towards Thor.

"Greek? I am of Asgard." He wrinkled his forehead in disbelief. "What is a Greek?" He turned to Steve.

"Never mind that, Thor. We have bigger problems right now."

"Uh, miss. I think there's been a misunderstanding. You see we're not models." Steve walked to the girl.

"Yeah right!" The girl laughed flirtatiously.

"No we're part of the Aven…" Bruce attempted to speak.

"We have no time. Come on guys." She motioned for them to follow her.

"I could kill you right now, Clint Barton." Bruce spoke to him under his breath.

The men were led to the fitting rooms near the back of the building as the girl happily greeted customers. She came to stop upon a cardboard box that sat in front of the rooms. She turned quickly on her heel and smiled to widely.

"Alright, Sally has selected a few of the outfits she thinks will fit you guys. Please try them on. Let me know if you need anything bigger…or smaller. I'll explain what the operation entails after you are finished." She huffed when the men stared at her flabbergasted and rooted to their spots. "Oh come on guys. I know we're not GQ, but a modeling job is a modeling job, right?" She tried to cheer them up. "Have fun!"

With jaws hitting the floor they all turned their heads to follow her figure as she left them with the box.

"The lady is very odd." Thor was the first to speak. "I'm afraid I did not follow her conversation. What is modeling? Does it involve battle?"

"Oh man." Steve palm-slapped himself as he realized the situation they had been thrown into. "This is all your fault, Barton. I cannot believe this. How do we tell her that we are not models? She seems very…relieved that we are here."

"I don't mean to sound rude, but that sounds like a personal problem to me. We need to get the hell out of here." He looked around for an escape route.

"Ok boys!" Sally walked to them with a clipboard in hand. "Judging by your sizes, these will be the assignments." She looked down at her clipboard. "Greek God…" She pointed to Thor. "You will be the elf." She reached into the box and retrieved the elf costume to hand to him. "Mr. Dudley Do Right…" She winked innocently at Steve. "You are a reindeer." The brown outfit was handed to him. "Mr. Intellectually handsome will wear Frosty the Snowman." She smiled at Bruce. "And last but not least, you my dear, The Guy Next Door, will be Santa."

They wanted to scream out that they were leaving, but the shock held them back. Their brains trying to figure out exactly what had and was happening to them. "Uh, Miss…" Steve started.

"Oh, silly me, break time is an hour long…in…" She glanced at her watch. "Four hours. I'll be back with the details. Go ahead and change."

Each man held their outfit before him with mouth agape. "This is NOT happening." Steve shook his head. "I am NOT wearing this." He waved his hand at the spandex version of a reindeer, complete with antlers and nose.

"I've changed my mind." Bruce nodded and looked to Clint. "I WILL kill you right now. Hulk and all." He started to walk towards him with a threatening look.

"Wait!" Clint raised his hands in surrender, the hanger from his outfit dangling on his thumb. "This could be what we need. Disguises." He stated, too happy for Bruce's liking.

"Steve hold me back!" Bruce warned. Thor stepped in between the men and pushed lightly against Bruce.

"Relax, Banner." He tried to pacify him. "We can wrestle with him at a later time. What shall we do with these clothes?"

"Nothing! We put them back in the box and run out of this place. I'll lead the way." Bruce bellowed still glaring at Clint.

"Nope." Clint shook his head arrogantly. "Remember the deal. We do this and I'll double your time on the jet."

"Screw the jet, Barton." Bruce turned to leave.

"I'll show you how to hyper jump." Clint wiggled his eyebrows like before. Being the sci-fi fan that he was, Bruce stopped in his tracks. Curious and anxious to know how it felt to hyper jump in a jet. "Gotcha big, guy. I knew you'd listen." He rolled his eyes and sighed at Clint's comment. "Alright let's get to work." Clint looked to the huddle.

Thor, Steve, and Bruce grunted with dismay.

* * *

Pepper dragged a very hesitant Tony towards the Barneys that was hosting a substantial sale of dresses and other essentials. Balancing the copious amounts of shopping bags they had managed to gather, he pouted openly.

"Pepppp..."

"Come on. Everyone loves sales!" Her eyes gleamed with something that Tony could only assume was a woman's love of shopping.

"But we've shopped enough sales." He lifted his arms and the bags they held. "See. A little for me, a little for you. We're good."

"It's just one more store." She batted her eyelashes playfully at him.

"You said that...two stores and a Michael Kors bag ago." The smile he flashed her was wide and playful. He stared at her for a while until four bodies dressed in Christmas characters caught his eye.

"What is it?" Pepper asked concerned.

"I've seen those four people before...as we enter every store, actually."

She turned to look at the people he was referring to. "They have flyers, Tony." Probably advertising family portraits with Santa or something. I wouldn't worry about it."

"I'm not." He defended himself. "I just find it weird." He observed Santa handing flyers to a pair of girls as they walked by him. A large elf looked even bulkier in the spandex as he seemed lost and mimicked Santa's moves.

"Maybe they're reporters. Or Paparazzi." She shook her head. "Let's go. At least we'll have some privacy inside.

Tony had no choice but to resign to her idea as they walked into the Barneys New York.

"I think he's spotted us!" Steve walked up to Clint and Thor.

"Aye. He seemed to have recognized us." Thor answered.

"I doubt it. Your hair is inside the elf hat. I'm in full Santa gear with a matching beard. Steve here is in a baggy reindeer outfit, nose and antlers. And..." He looked around for their missing man. "Where the hell is Bruce!"

"He stopped at the hot dog place. Said he gave up on your mission." Steve shrugged.

"His loss." Clint shrugged back.

"So what have you discovered?" Steve asked.

"Well, he likes button down shirts. She likes silk ties on him. He likes fitted dresses on her. She loves the smell of his cologne so much she bought him another bottle even though he's not even a quarter of the way through his bottle at home. AND Tony hates shopping, but as long as he gets to do it with Pepper...he's in." Clint managed to spew out the information in a small amount of breaths.

Steve shook his head with a glare. "I don't think this is healthy. You're not sane. Seriously. Too many concussions. We should speak to Fury about this."

"Zip it, Captain Underpants." Barton retorted.

* * *

He sat on the plush waiting seat outside of the dressing rooms as Pepper tried on yet another dress. A small content sigh escaped him, and an assistant that waited on Pepper smiled widely at him. Tony smiled back.

"What do you think?" Pepper emerged from the room with her hands smoothing over the fabric.

"Wow." Tony straightened up. "That one's...shorter than you normally wear, but...wow." He grinned at her and nodded approvingly. "You look very sophisticated and sexy."

"Ms. Potts, you have a keeper." The assistant winked at her and motioned to Tony. "Great compliments and very patient. You're one of the lucky ones."

"Yes I am, Patrice. Thank you."

"Um, Patrice...let's say I wanted to buy her something...not so sophisticated. With less fabric. Shorter. Maybe hot rod red. Do you guys carry anything along those lines?" Pepper's jaw dropped as her cheeks reddened.

"Sure, Mr. Stark." Patrice only smiled. Many men had questions like his so she was unfazed. "Let me go see what I can do for you."

Pepper waited for the woman to leave the room before she glared at Tony. "What are you doing, Anthony?"

"Yikes…Anthony." Tony stood to walk towards her. "Am I in trouble, Potts?" He winked. "You only use my first name if I'm in for some kind of torture."

She wanted to keep her distance, new she should, but everything about him drove her crazy. His tone, his stare, and his body language. Pepper was never one for such behavior, especially in public. But she was head over heels for Anthony Stark, and sometimes no amount of fear or common sense could stop her from showing him her appreciation.

So she pulled him in by the lapels of his coat towards her body. His eyes widened with surprise as his lips made rough contact with hers. He eagerly pushed her back and reached around her to open the dressing room door. She managed to chuckle lightly as he backed her in and nipped at her neck.

"Here we go Mr. Stark." Patrice walked back into the room only to find it was empty. A small smile broke on her face as she cleared her throat and placed the item of clothing on the seat. They could get to it when they stopped making out like teenagers.

Pepper's face reddened as she heard Patrice outside. She buried her head in Tony's neck in an attempt to hide her reaction. Tony grinned with pride.

* * *

"Alright, they're inside Barneys, still." Clint whispered to Steve as he continued to hand out flyers.

"Nope. Here they come." Steve shook his head as he realized that Tony and Pepper had exited the store hand in hand.

"Shall we conceal ourselves?" Thor asked the other men.

"No. They won't know it's us. Trust me."

Tony and Pepper smiled at each other as they walked towards the enormous Christmas tree that was decorated, surrounded by the stores. Happy greeted them as he stood smoking a cigarette.

"Happy, do you mind taking the bags with you?" Pepper asked sweetly as he shook his head. "No peeking." She warned him.

"Got it." He smiled. "I'll take these. You kids go have dinner or something."

Tony stood not really paying attention to the exchange between the two as he observed the men in the outfits. "Tony?" Pepper asked as she looked away from Happy.

"Huh?"

"What is it?"

"You alright boss?"

"Yeah. I just…it's nothing."

Pepper caught side of what he was looking at and laughed. "Paparazzi, Tony. Relax."

"I don't know what's going on, so I'm outta here." Happy shrugged. "Hey…" Happy stopped in his tracks and turned around with the bags in his hands. "That reminds I just saw Bruce. He's sitting over at the hot dog joint. Eating his feelings, I think." Tony and Pepper knitted their eyebrows. "I would be too if I was dressed in a Frosty the Snowman costume by myself." With his final comment he laughed and walked away.

Tony and Pepper stood in place contemplating what Happy had just told them. Everything suddenly fell into place. "I told you." Tony shook his head. "The stooges are all here."

"The Elf? Santa? The Reindeer?" She asked with a laugh.

"That's them." He nodded as they looked around for them, spotting them near Barneys.

"They probably wanted to see if you were lying about working on the suit." She laughed.

Tony shrugged and shook his head. "Torture. Sheer torture." He laced her hands with his. "Lets go to La Piazza. Let them suffer some more."

Pepper smiled and nodded. "I _am_ hungry. Besides, I think they're having fun."

The men gathered around in their costumes. "They're on to us. I know it. They are. We need to abort the mission." Steve suggested.

Thor nodded as he walked to a trash bin to deposit the remaining flyers inside. "I concur. We should remove ourselves from this."

Clint sighed in resignation and nodded to the group. "Alright. Lets get out of here. I'm exhausted."

They walked around The Grove, happy to be going home, when they were stopped in their tracks. "The three stooges…where's the fourth?" Tony smiled widely at the men with Pepper beside him.

"Tony…hey…fancy finding you here." Clint was the first to speak.

"It's obvious this was a mere coincidence." Tony shrugged.

"Yes." Steve nodded.

"Aye." Thor added.

"You're sweating." Pepper smiled at Clint.

"Yeah, it's hot."

"Right." Tony grinned as he checked his Stark Phone. "Forty eight degrees, nice and chilly, would you agree Pep?" He turned to her and she nodded. "Come on Legolas. You suck at bluffing."

"We were on our way out. Tried to shop, didn't really succeed." Steve interrupted when he realized Clint was stuck.

"Before you say anything else, take a look at this. I was wondering if you guys thought I should blow it up and give it to Fury as a Christmas gift." He turned his Stark Phone to them and showed them the picture displaying on the screen. The corner of it read _Forever 21 security camera 3_. "What do you guys say?" His grin grew wider as their eyes widened in horror.

"No. Let's uh, make a pact to never speak of this. Delete the picture." Clint spoke loudly.

"Stark, do not release that photograph. Whatever you do, never release that."

"Aye. Tis a horrible image of a day which was forced upon me."

"Bruce would not want that made public. Or given to Fury."

"Where is Bruce?" Pepper asked.

"Last we heard he was having a hot dog."

"Smart man, to ditch you for food. I can't believe you conned him into this." Tony spoke as he laughed.

"Well, I kind of told him I would let him fly the Shield jet at hyper speed." Clint stated coyly.

"You can't hyper speed in that jet. This isn't Star Wars." Tony shook his head in disbelief. "I expected more from Bruce."

"Well you must admit Tony that when you put a man in such a situation, he will drool before he thinks rationally about it." Pepper wrapped her arm around his waist as he nodded.

"So about that picture…" Clint broke the moment. "Are you going to…bring it to light?"

"Eh…I'll think about it. Good leverage to have." He clapped Clint on the shoulder and looked to Steve and Thor. "But anyway, now that we know you guys like to dress up, maybe you can provide the entertainment for our Christmas Eve dinner…which you guys are definitely invited to now." The men rolled their eyes as they sighed. "Let's go find Bruce.

**To be continued…**

**I apologize for the delay. You guys would not believe the last few weeks that I have had. Work has been hectic (recently been told I will be getting a promotion so the projects have started to roll in) to say the least, and the holidays have been jam packed with shopping and making my rounds. That being said, I hope you guys enjoy the last few chapters of this story. Merry Christmas!**


	5. Chapter 5

Wow, I am beyond sorry and disappointed for stalling on this story. It was meant to be a quick write and post, but it did not go as planned. No excuses, I'm just sorry that I kept you all from it during the actual holidays. Hope you guys are still tuning in to this and _Risks and Consequences_ (which WILL be updated soon). Also, as a heads up, I haven't had a chance to reply to the reviews I have received, but I will get to them once I have a chance to get into my inbox. That also goes for the many new chapters you guys have been posting for your stories that I follow. I will get to them and hope to review soon.

* * *

**All I Want For Christmas**

Clint walked timidly through the front door of the Stark mansion. His eyes taking in the grandeur of the main entrance, imagining what the rest of the rooms would look like. It had been some months now that the Avengers had fought together against Loki and his army, and yet this was the first time he was seeing the inside of Tony's home.

He made sure to grasp the cool slippery bottle of wine more firmly as he let himself be carried away by the smell of gingerbread, and the sparkle of lights that hung nicely along the archway. "Oh hi Clint, I thought I heard Jarvis announce that you were here." Pepper walked to meet him with a small hug.

"Hi, Pepper." Clint handed her the bottle of wine with a shy smile. "It's good to see you again."

Pepper smiled. "Likewise. Come on in." She led him to the main living area where everyone was seated drinking cocktails and watching _A Christmas Story._

"Hey Robin Hood. Good of you to join us." Tony smirked from the love seat he occupied as the rest of the group turned to Barton. "You're late. And you need to catch up. You need a drink." Tony nodded as he walked to the bar area. "What's your poison?"

Clint stuffed his hands in his slacks and shrugged. "Uh, I'll take some Jack Daniels please." His glass was being poured as he turned his head to glance at the group gathered in the room. "So what's with the movie date?"

"Drinking game." Tony grinned.

"Oh man. I might be out of practice. It's been a while." He thankfully accepted the glass of whiskey.

"Nah. You'll be fine." Tony made his way back to his seat. "Have a seat, Legolas. Jarvis pause the movie please."

"Certainly." His AI responded.

Audible _'awwws'_ could be heard around the room. "So what's the game?" Barton sat next to Bruce on the large couch.

"Every time Ralphie says _'Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle',_ we drink."

"I'm in." Barton smiled and sat back in the couch.

"Alright, J…play."

Everyone in the room proceeded to laugh and enjoy the movie as they sipped on their drinks. Different levels of sobriety, or better yet inebriation, were dispersed among the friends. Each drink was made to one's own liking, and that always included the how-fast-can-it-knock-you-on-your-six factor.

"This was a bad idea." Rhodey laughed after swallowing his latest gulp. "Ralphie says it a lot. I'm not sure I can eat dinner after this."

"You're such a light-weight, Sour Patch." Tony grinned arrogantly and took a sip from his scotch.

"Not all of us have had a chance to build a tolerance like you have." Steve shook his head after having gulped down some of his beer.

"Who says he has?" Pepper asked as she walked in from the kitchen with Natasha. Tony's smile faded ever so slightly at her question. She winked at him as he set his glass down on the table beside him.

"You wound me, Potts." Tony held his heart as he tapped the arm of the loveseat with his other hand, letting her know he wanted her near.

"Sorry." She was about to sit on the arm when suddenly he pulled her from the waist to have her land on his lap. He wrapped his arms securely around her and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"You're lucky I don't feel like giving you a fight right now." Tony spoke before he kissed the side of her neck.

A snort came from somewhere in the room when Rhodey thought the room had had enough of the lovey dovey display between the pair. "Alright you two. Do you think we can get back to the game?"

"You have my permission to proceed." Tony grinned at his friend.

"Thank you your majesty." He mocked bowed as the group shared a laugh.

The rest of the game went without a hitch, except for the fact that those who chose to drink stronger mixes of alcohol were a little more flustered and dizzy than the rest of them.

Discussions about everything and nothing at all circled the group. Laughter filled the room, due in large part to Tony's customary humorous antics. No one had left their seat since the movie ended, happy to partake in the jovial gathering.

It wasn't until sometime later that Pepper left the comfort of Tony's arms to head into the kitchen. Natasha happily followed her.

"Anything I can do to help, Pepper?" The other redhead smiled as she stood by the island.

"Sure. Just help me take the side dishes to the dining table. I'll get the rest." Pepper spoke as she retrieved the holiday ham from the oven.

"No problem."

"Hey Natasha…" Pepper called to the other woman who had turned to make her way to the table.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for coming. It's nice to have some female company for a change." She smiled. "Not that I don't appreciate the men coming by and taking Tony out of his work shop every once in a while, but a girl can only take so much testosterone in a week."

"You're welcome, Pepper. I know it can be difficult. Especially since that particular bunch of men are…different than most."

Pepper nodded with a large smile. "Very, very different."

As they laughed together they made sure to make everything presentable and appetizing. They added their own personal womanly touches to everything in view. Not because they felt it was their task, but because it did allow them a moment to break free from the grips of all things superheroes, and everything that followed from being involved with them.

"So I see you and Tony are doing great." Natasha spoke and smiled the smallest of smiles.

"Until he breaks something else, then I have to roll up my sleeves and let him have it." She grinned. "He hates my lectures, but at least I get through to him."

"He must be handful. Bless your soul for putting up with that man."

"He is." Pepper straightened and steadied her hands slightly on the dining table to look up at Natasha. "But I wouldn't want it any other way. He's my handful and I'm thankful for that. Besides, how dull would my life be otherwise." They shared another laugh. "So…" Pepper continued to work on the cloth napkins. "Clint seems to be a good man."

Natasha's usually cool demeanor and expressionless face disappeared as she turned a light shade of red and a smile broke from her lips. "He is." She nodded. "He's stubborn and always feels the need to do something dangerous or ill-advised, but he's always there when I need him." Pepper nodded for her to continue. "He's caring and he keeps me on my toes."

"That sounds like the beginning of a good thing."

"I hope so."

"So who went after who?" Pepper smiled at the woman talk they were sharing.

"Well, I think we both just kind of realized we were moving towards something more than just a partnership. New York really made us aware of how close we all are to not living the life we envision for ourselves." Natasha smiled proudly as she placed the last utensil neatly on the place setting. "Things are still a bit unfamiliar and awkward, but we don't have to try hard to just be happy in each other's company once we loosen up."

"It will probably be weird for a while. Trust me. Seeing them in a new light…or rather being able to openly show them you see them in such a light is as odd as it is exciting." Pepper spoke seriously and Natasha nodded. "Well, I'm happy for you two. I wish you the best of luck."

"Thank you, Pepper." They both paused to look at their work and smiled at each other. "Looks great. Shall we go get the boys?"

"Lets." Pepper replied.

"Alright, dinner's re-" Natasha entered the living area first and stopped in her tracks when she saw what was taking place.

"What is it?" Pepper knitted her eyebrows when she caught up to the spy. Her head turning slowly to see what Natasha was so shocked at. She couldn't believe it. Or maybe she could. She was surprised. Though she shouldn't have been. Her mouth suddenly opened, but no words came out.

"It was Barton's idea." He hurriedly placed his phone in his back pocket. Tony was quick to defend himself as he stared at Pepper's appalled expression.

Pepper rolled her eyes at her boyfriend as she walked towards the poor man who's level of inebriation probably allowed such a thing to happen. "Rhodey!"

Rhodey smiled widely as his eyes drooped. "Pepper! Merry Christmas!" He hugged her loosely and wobbled in place.

"Oh Rhodey." Pepper kept her arm draped around him to steady him as she turned to the two men present. "Really?" She asked incredulously at them and stopped to look hard at Tony.

"What, don't look at me." He threw his hands up in defense. "I told you, Barton suggested it." He pointed to the man like a child calling out another.

Natasha took that moment as her chance to jump in. "Clint!" She walked up to him and smacked him behind the head.

"What?" He attempted to look as innocent as possible, but Natasha saw right through him. "He agreed to it. I didn't exactly twist his arm."

"He's drunk. Of course he wouldn't say no. He's not thinking straight!" She countered.

"I'll say." Tony laughed at the pun. But it slowly diminished as he caught Pepper's wide eyes.

"Quiet Tony!" Pepper lashed at him, still holding onto Rhodey. All the while he smiled at the exchange between the group.

"Yeah, quiet Tony." Rhodey spoke as his smile faded. "My head hurts."

"Weak sauce." Tony mouthed under his breath.

"Tony…" Pepper warned. He dropped himself onto the leather couch to ride out the storm. "Where are Thor, Steve, and Bruce?" Pepper looked around. "Why didn't they stop this?"

"We…kind of…sent them to the workshop." Tony spoke.

"Why?" Natasha urged the pair to proceed to explain.

"Becausetheywouldhavestoppedu s." Clint stated quickly.

The ladies tilted their heads back in unison with disbelief. Only their men would come up with such devious plans, and carry them out without a second thought.

"Rhodey where's your clothes?" Pepper asked him, almost as if she were asking an eight year old.

"I have them on." He slurred. Obviously missing the fact that he wasn't wearing the clothes he had arrived in.

"Whoa!" Steve and the other men walked in from the workshop. Their jaws on the floor and their faces red. "Colonel Rhodes…" Steve wanted to make sure the man knew what he was wearing.

"Oh man." Bruce voiced as he slapped his hand to his face. "Oh boy. We leave you two for ten minutes and this is what you guys get into?"

"It was Katniss' idea." Tony smiled arrogantly.

"I have a feeling you're not without blame." Bruce shook his head.

"What odd ensemble the Colonel has chosen for dinner." Thor looked at Rhodey.

"Thor, I don't think that Colonel Rhodes _chose _to dress like that." Steve explained with a smile.

"I do not understand. He clearly has chosen to wear it, for he is wearing it."

"I think that genius over there, and Clint had more to do with the choosing part than he did." Steve continued. "Besides, he's highly intoxicated. He probably doesn't even know that he's wearing that highly inappropriate costume."

"I understand now. Tis another one of these so called jokes Tony is fond of."

"In my defense, technically it's not a joke, it's a prank. Which I'm not too fond of."

"I'm cold." Rhodey broke the exchange between the group with a whine.

"Let's find your clothes." Pepper led him slowly to the love seat.

Almost immediately the men spoke at once.

"They're on the bar." Clint spoke.

"No don't sit down!" Bruce covered his eyes at the impending show Rhodey would unwillingly be part of.

"Can we take a picture?" Steve laughed lightly, hoping for blackmail evidence.

"Party pooper." Tony said as he stood to retrieve the man's clothes.

"Alright!" Pepper spoke over everyone and kept Rhodey from sitting. "No we cannot take pictures." She glared at Steve. "Tony and Clint, you guys are in charge of getting him out of this and into _his_ clothes." She snatched the clothes from Tony and laid them out on the love seat. "The rest of us will meet you in the dining room. Try not to hurt yourselves. Be quick." She turned away from them swiftly and feigned anger as she stalked off into the the dining room, the group in tow.

"Thanks for throwing me under the bus, Stark." Clint mumbled so Pepper wouldn't hear him.

"Pay back for spying on me and my girl." Tony grinned as he helped Rhodey out of the sexy elf costume, and into his suit.

* * *

Sometime later they all sat around dining table with wine in their glasses. The candles were lit, the ham had been carved and distributed, and a variety of sides now resided on their plates. Being that they were in Tony's home, they soon all turned their heads to him to proceed.

He smiled and tapped his glass lightly with a fork . "I guess it's time for a speech." He stood and clasped onto Pepper's hand to have her stand next to him. She smiled a warm smile. "I know you could have chosen to go anywhere else tonight, and I appreciate the fact that you willingly chose me over everyone else." He grinned. "You've chosen wisely." The group laughed and he turned to smile at Pepper. "I've had a great time this holiday season. Covert missions and drunken pranks included." They laughed again as he paused. "I hope Platypus doesn't fall off the couch. Anyway, I…we…Pepper and I would like to thank you for sharing Christmas Eve with us. Hopefully next year we can meet Betty and Jane, I'd like to congratulate them for putting up with you two." He pointed at Thor and Bruce.

"You should talk." Clint laughed. "Pepper…my hat's off to _you_."

A small laugh escaped her. "Thank you, Clint."

"Yeah, yeah, anyway…let's eat." He lifted his glass towards the group, and they followed.

* * *

A now sober Rhodey stirred himself awake when he snored so deeply that it made him cough. He opened his eyes slowly, thankful that the lights were dim and the only true glow in the room was from the giant Christmas tree.

"Come on, Pep. Open it!" Tony whined as he held her close by her hips.

"No. Why can't I open it in the morning?" She smiled.

"Because I'm impatient, and I want you to see it right now."

Rhodey could see that they were standing by the tree, but he could barely register what they were saying. He shook his head gently to wake himself up, but chose to remain on the couch with his face firmly on the cushion.

"And if I told you that you would have to be patient or I won't give you your present?"

Tony's eye widened. "Not fair."

"Life's not fair." She joked.

Tony suddenly dropped his smile and moved them closer to each other so he could kiss her soundly. "I agree." He whispered when he pulled back enough to look at her blue eyes. "If it were fair, I don't believe I would be kissing you right now." Pepper knitted her eyebrows as she played with the hair at the base of his neck. "Some lucky man would be married to you right now. A good man. Without flaws. Who always listened to you when you lectured him. And never broke a single thing in the house. Who's a squared-away guy with little time to act like a grown kid. He would never leave you in the middle of the night. Or leave you worried that he might not come back."

She took her index finger to his lips in an attempt to stop him from continuing. "Oh Tony." She shook her head. "That sounds like a great life." His eyes fell to avoid her stare. Using her index finger again, this time to lift his chin, she forced his eyes to meet hers. "For anyone else in the world but me." They both grinned. "I would be bored. And above all, I would miss you."

Rhodey smiled to himself as he heard the exchange between his friends. He felt a bit uncomfortable with the fact that he was basically eavesdropping, but he didn't want to ruin their moment. He would rather wait through the sappiness than be faced with an irritated Tony Stark and an embarrassed Pepper Potts.

Tony nodded. "You're a smart woman, Pepper Potts. I knew you couldn't live without me even if you tried." He kissed her again. "Now open your present."

Pepper couldn't help but roll her eyes a little. "Alright. Alright. I hope it's not a hamster, or a squirrel, or _any_ animal."

"You'll have to open it to find out." He dropped his hands from her hips to grab the present from under the tree.

The wrapping made her laugh. The Iron Man paper was loose and over-tapped. "Nice wrapping job."

"Butterfingers did it." He hoped his lie would work.

"Right." It didn't.

When the last of the paper fell to the floor, and she opened the box, she looked up at Tony with a curious stare. "Tony…what is this?"

"It's an arc reactor chest piece." He smiled widely.

"Uh huh. I see that. But why is it in a box for me?"

"Because it's yours."

"Tony…what do you mean?" She opened her eyes wide as she spoke with a warning tone.

"I mean it's your arc reactor chest piece. What don't you get from that?" He replied.

"I mean why do I need an arc reactor chest piece?"

"Why do you think Virginia Potts?"

"Oh no." Pepper touched her temple with her fingers in order to sooth the headache she felt coming on. "Tony…"

"Pepper…"

"You didn't."

"I did."

"No you didn't." She spoke willing her words to be true.

"Yes I did." He held her near once again. "I can show you. Come on."

Together they walked down to the workshop while Rhodey sat up in a hurry and shook his head. If Tony had done what he thought he had done, then Tony was in for another famous lecture from Pepper. _When will he learn? _Rhodey shook his head again, finally adjusting to his surroundings.

* * *

She stood there, motionless, in shock, and bit uneasy with the situation. Her eyes roamed the armor before her as she tried very hard to wrap her mind around it all. The color was a darker red than Tony's suits, and where the gold usually covered his, a gray covered hers. Pepper shook her head in disbelief.

"What do you think?" Tony asked anxiously.

"I guess it was only matter of time before you got the urge to create one for me." She shrugged, but never took her eyes off of the suit.

"You hate it? Really?" His voiced was laced with disappointment.

"I didn't say that." She finally turned her head to look at him.

"Well you're not exactly jumping with glee."

"I don't jump with glee for anything." She pointed flatly.

He stopped to think about that. "You've got a point."

"I think it's…dangerous." Pepper once again looked at the suit that rested in its own glass case.

"No, no, no, no, no. It's not. I'll show you what to do. How to do it. When to do it. It's mostly for your protection." He spoke fast and took her free hand in his. The other still held the arc reactor.

"But…I" She tried to continue with her thought.

"No buts, Pepper. It's going to be great. We can travel together like this. Spend some time up there together."

"I was going to say that…I like it." She smiled softly at Tony.

"You what?"

"I like it. It looks threatening, yet it still looks feminine."

"Really?" Tony could not believe his ears.

"Yes really. I'm not saying I'll wear it every day, but it will definitely come in handy." She flashed him a small smile.

"Alright." He clapped his hands together. "Strap in."

"Not tonight." His hands fell in a tantrum-like manner. "Our guests are still upstairs, Tony."

"They'll be fine. They're big kids. Leave them to themselves for a bit." He attempted to cajole her with light touches at her hips.

"No." She playfully smacked his hands away. "They could destroy the house."

"Eh." He grinned devilishly at her and looked at her lips. "Been there, done that."

"Exactly."

"Fine. What a buzz kill."

"Watch it, Stark. Or you'll be sleeping out in the balcony tonight."

He stared at her with the same grin he had just flashed her. Everything about her made him crazy. In every good way possible. She was the best Christmas gift he could ever, had ever hoped for. "Jarvis…"

"Sir?"

"Code 9 please."

"Code 9?" Pepper asked with a curious smile as Tony nodded.

"Executing Code 9, sir."

"Oh look at that. A mistletoe." He wrapped his arms tighter around her hips as he looked up. A holographic mistletoe hung suspended in thin air directly above their heads.

"Tony, you don't need mistletoe to kiss me." It was Pepper's turn to grin at him.

"In that case…Javis…"

"Sir?"

"Execute code REC12."

"Certainly, sir."

Everywhere upstairs, on every smart screen and flat screen, a picture slide show began to display. When the guests realized what they were looking at, they could not contain the fits of laughter. Their sides hurt, and the tears definitely rolled down their faces from how hard they laughed. All Rhodey could do as he sat on the leather couch was stare with fright. The pictures of himself, in the same elf costume he had seen Pepper wear, made him cringe. "Tony!"

"Where were we?" His undivided attention was back to the woman in his arms as a faint yell came from upstairs.

"What is code REC12?, Tony?" She asked with a light worry.

"Don't burden yourself with that…right now."

She wanted to fight him on that, but she wanted to kiss him even more. So she allowed herself the luxury of doing so. She kissed him with all she had. Because he _was_ all she had, and despite the trials they had gone through, she wouldn't have it any other way.

"You didn't open your present?" Pepper murmured through busy lips.

"All I ever wanted for Christmas was you." He stated sincerely as he kept their lips focused on their mission. Happy to have elected a true celebration of the holidays with her.

**The end!**

**I do hope you all had an exciting and happy holiday season. Welcome to a new year! 2013 is already one of my favorites. Thank you for all of the faves and follows!**

**Did you guys watch the People's Choice Awards?! I was so excited and happy for Robert! I'm glad all of my hard work counted for something. You guys wouldn't believe how many times I voted and had my friends vote. Anyway, I used a line he said during his acceptance speech in one of Tony's lines. Let's see if you guys can figure out what line I used.**


	6. Epilogue

Disclaimer: Not mine. Never will be. Sad face.

Note: So a friend of mine (who doesn't read fics at all), read this story and convinced me that it needed an epilogue. I was very hesitant to agree, but after sharing a discussion of such sorts with someone who doesn't even read fics insists…well then I have to try. Because I imagine you the readers, are probably feeling the same way. If not…I apologize…if so…here ya go! Enjoy!

* * *

**Queen Mary**

**Long Beach, CA**

**December 31, 2012**

"This is so not my scene!" Bruce shouted over the music at Betty, who was smiling from ear to ear.

"Loosen up, Bruce. How often do you get to enjoy the company of your team, on a ship, with some music, and some drinks?" She looped her arm with his and looked out at the crowd of people gathered on the dance floor.

"Not often. And I wouldn't mind if it stayed that way. You can't even hold a conversation in here. It's so loud!" He squinted his eyes as he too looked for his friends.

"What?" She teased and Bruce rolled his eyes playfully. "There…" she pointed out to her right. "There's Tony and Pepper." Betty smiled before she tried her best to lead them through the crowded dance space.

It was refreshing for Betty to see a couple like Tony and Pepper. They were, she imagined, how her and Bruce should have been all along. Unafraid of the world and its demons. Only happy to face them together. She looked back at Bruce who followed directly behind her and smiled at him. Thankfully he had experienced a moment of rational thinking when he had called her after the events in New York. Of course she did not hesitate to take full advantage of making her point, again. They belonged together, and she knew he knew, he was only too stubborn to see it immediately.

She squeezed his hand as they got closer to the pair.

Pepper laughed softly and tried not to spill her martini as Tony kissed behind her ear. They sat on a plush sectional in the corner of the room, away from the immense sea of bodies that currently jumped up and down to the beat of the music. "Tony…behave." She laughed again and pushed at his chest.

"How can I when you're wearing that dress. You give me chills." He grinned his playboy smile at her. Her dress _did_ possess such power, and he tried every second not to stare and lose track of time altogether.

"Are they multiplying?" She rolled her eyes teasingly while he pouted. Normally she would have left him to himself to get over it, but she felt especially compassionate so she leaned in for a quick peck on the lips.

The duo smiled at each other for some time when they pulled away. He could feel the vibrations of the music, but he heard nothing around him. Saw nothing. Except for her. The images from the last few months flooded his memory and he shook his head in disbelief. "What a year."

Pepper sighed contentedly. "Never a dull moment."

"Not one." Tony chuckled and lifted his glass of scotch towards her. "To another year. Just like this one, but better."

"Here here." She replied and clinked her glass with his before they both drank to his toast.

He was the one to lean in this time. Not a peck, yet not a passionate fighting of lips. He was sweet and tender, but lingered there with their lips against each other for a moment longer. Until an prominent clearing of a throat caused him to jump and pull away reluctantly.

Betty batted Bruce lightly on the stomach. "Sorry for the interruption." She proceeded with a smile. "Bruce is a genius, but lacks romanticism." The small group shared a laugh while Bruce rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"And self-control…" Tony added and received a similar smack on the shoulder from Pepper. "Kidding. Kidding." He winked at her and turned his head again. "Betty?" He stood along with Pepper to shake her hand.

"Nice to finally meet you, Tony. Bruce has told me so much about you."

"Don't tell him about the terrible stuff I've told you. He doesn't need to hear that." Bruce quipped.

"Your work fascinates him…and me." She continued after eyeing Bruce.

"That's alright big guy, have I got the horror stories for her about _you_." He grinned. "Maybe we can all sit down and have a deep conversation about your work some time." He paused to slap Bruce on the shoulder before looking back to Betty. "Betty, this is Pepper." Tony stood back and motioned to her with his hand.

The redhead smiled broadly before stepping forward to shake her hand. "Nice to finally meet_you,_ Betty. I've been very anxious to meet the woman intellectual that keeps Bruce grounded." They all chuckled.

"Oh likewise. I've heard quite the tale about you two."

"Touché." Pepper smiled.

After sharing another light-hearted laugh, the group sat and drank together. Discussing the fundamentals of a good party to ring in the New Year. It took all of thirty seconds for Tony to stand and yell over the music to the crowd gathered on the dance floor. They all cheered when they heard him shout something about the best New Year's party ever.

"Where's the rest of the group, Tony?" Bruce asked with a drink of his beer.

"They're all enjoying themselves on the Chill level." Tony answered casually as he sat down.

Betty knitted her eyebrows and smiled. "I'm sorry, what's the Chill level? Is that code for something?"

Pepper chuckled. "No. It's a level where they have an exhibit of ice sculptures, an ice skating rink, and some ice inner tubing. It's very cold, but can be very fun."

As soon as Pepper finished explaining the Chill experience to Betty, her eyes lit up. "That does sound like fun. What are we doing here then?" Betty questioned Bruce and the pair with wide eyes.

Immediately Bruce shook his head. "No thank you."

"Oh come on, Bruce." Betty ran her palm up and down his arm in an attempt to cajole him into saying yes.

"Tony…Pepper?" Betty eyed them.

Tony and Pepper smiled at her before looking at each other. Tony would say yes to any kind of fun, despite their current wardrobe. They contemplated their options. Pepper shrugged at Tony. With a grin in place he turned to the couple before them and stood. "We're in! Come on Green Giant. It'll be fun." He turned to offer his hand to Pepper. "Ms. Potts…I do believe you are overdressed, but let's see what we can do about that ."

Betty stood immediately and wrapped an arm around Bruce's waist. "Shall we?" She asked them.

"We'll meet you there." Tony smiled and Betty nodded happily. Bruce had no other option but to follow forcefully.

"How do I always manage to get sucked into some holiday charade?" He shook his head.

Pepper's hand was laced with Tony's as they watched the couple walk out onto the deck. She took a second to smile before she turned to Tony with knitted brows. "What plans do you have?" She asked nervously.

A small grin broke out on his face. "Wouldn't you like to know." He winked and retrieved his Stark Phone from his pocket. He dialed the familiar number while squeezing Pepper's hand lightly. "Yo, Hap. You still in the area?"

* * *

"You sure about this, boss?" Happy asked with a grin. "This isn't something you can undo. And if you ever did try, I would probably knock you on your six."

Tony looked down from where he watched the stars to find Happy eyeing him. "Have I fired you today, yet?"

"Yes." He shook his head and handed him the object in his hand.

Tony accepted it with such caution. Fearing that if he squeezed to hard, or held it too loosely, he would break it or lose it forever. "Damn. Oh well, there's always tomorrow." He teased. "Thanks, Hogan." He slapped his friend's shoulder and turned to walk away.

"Boss…" Happy called out.

"Yeah?" Tony turned in place.

"Pepper's clothes…" He pointed at the Dooney and Bourke bag he still held in one hand.

The billionaire smiled shyly for maybe the third time in his life. He wanted to laugh, but he held back and shook his head instead. He moved quickly towards Happy and took the bag before he walked away and flashed him a peace sign.

* * *

The group sat huddled at a table near the ice rink while they each laced up their skates. Nervous looks came from some of them that had never skated before. Others looked excited and giddy like little kids. One in particular, looked utterly confused at the contraptions on his feet.

"I do not understand, Jane. Tis a complicated way of celebrating a joyful time." Thor shook his head.

Jane smiled while the rest of them laughed at him. "You'll be fine. I'll help you." She rubbed his back reassuringly.

"No offense, Jane, but if the god of thunder and lightning himself falls, you won't be able to help much." Clint grinned. "He'll probably take you down with him."

"I would never endangers Jane is such a way. I wish not to harm her." He smiled at her.

Audible sighs that followed a rolling of eyes could be heard around the table. "Never mind, Thor." Clint shook his head.

They all shared a small laugh before Tony spoke. "Alright kids, my lovely lady and I are heading out there. Last one to the rink gets the next round of drinks." He smiled and took Pepper's hand in his. Bruce let out a small laugh as he watched both of them walk awkwardly on the rubber floor that led to the ice.

A few minutes after everyone had readied themselves, they all skated around the rink with their partners. The place wasn't crowded, but enough people were skating to make it an interesting and potential hazard zone.

Thor had yet to let go of the low wall, even after Jane's attempts at pacifying him. She would caress his arm and gently pull it away from the wall before she laced her fingers with his. Any small movements from behind him or beside him, and Thor would instantly break his hand away from hers to grip the wall. She tried not to laugh at his lack of ease and poise, but it really was an amusing sight to her. Such a strong and sturdy man turned into a fragile and unbalanced mess.

"Thor you have to try it once or you'll never get the confidence to take off on your own." She laughed softly.

"Tis a perilous and daunting task." He slipped a bit and gripped the wall until his knuckles turned white. "Marching into combat with bilgesnipe would appear to be a more peaceful way to perish."

This time Jane could not help the laugh that escaped her. He spoke often about the bilgesnipe, and she got a sense that they were his least favorite things on his world. Yet now she clearly realized he'd rather fight them to the death than attempt to skate. "Would you like to go sit down?" She offered him a way out of his misery.

"I do not desire to resign my efforts." Thor straightened himself up and spoke assertively, but soon found himself on his way down towards the icy surface. The toerake on his skate caught the ice when he clumsily skate-walked, sending him to his crash landing. Jane watched in slow motion as he leaned involuntarily forward. She stiffened her muscles in an attempt to grab hold of him, but failed as he slipped from her slender arms.

"Thor!" She kneeled beside him when he finally landed on his stomach. "Are you alright?"

He lay still as he tried to catch his breath, and then suddenly he was laughing out loud. His reaction surprised Jane, who now smiled at him. "It's quite cold." He rolled over to look up at her. "Perhaps skating is not my forte." Thor continued to laugh as Jane watched in amazement. She rubbed the ice off his stomach while he looked past her and towards the sky. "Tis a beautiful night." He finally stopped laughing and looked back at her eyes.

"It is." She smiled. "Here, let's get you up and out of those things."

"Jane…" Thor lifted part of his upper body up onto his elbows. "You are beautiful. And quite pleasing to the eyes." He grinned. She smiled bashfully.

"Thank you, Thor." She made a move to stand when he swiftly lifted his palm to cup her cheek. Jane did rise, but instead leaned towards him as he guided her lips to his. "Darcy is going to have a good laugh at this." She spoke in between their kiss.

On the opposite side of the rink Bruce and Betty skated slowly with Clint and Natasha close behind them. Hand in hand Betty and Bruce talked over their shoulders at them. "So this is fun." Bruce commented.

"I don't believe for a second that you've enjoyed yourself." Clint teased.

"This holiday season was not my favorite, no." He shrugged.

"You know, Bruce, you're turning into quite the scrooge." Betty kissed his cheek, mindful of their path to avoid an unwanted collision.

"I wouldn't give him too much a hard time, Betty. This one had a lot to do with Bruce's attitude about the past few weeks." Natasha smiled and shook her head at Clint. Who only winked back at her and continued to skate.

The four of them skated around for a while as they conversed. Bruce would never have labeled Clint as an interesting guy, but he was. And he was rather captivated by the fact that Clint liked to rock climb on his spare time. He insisted Bruce try it sometime as a meditative exercise. Even suggested they do it together. Bruce didn't dismiss the idea at all. The spy was just as surprised at the exchange as Bruce was.

While the men shared their ideas with each other, the two ladies laughed and shared small talk about life in New York. Needless to say, they seemed to be having a pleasant time.

Pepper gasped when Thor fell, but relaxed when she saw him and Jane exit the rink without medical assistance. Tony laughed so hard he almost cried. She elbowed him in the ribs. They both stared at the two couples that skated around, impressed at how intently they seemed to be chatting. He chortled at the odd friendships they would be building. Now Tony skated quietly next to Pepper as she talked about her hopes for the coming year. He listened carefully for a few minutes, even provided her with his opinions, but he soon tuned out. Not because he was bored, but because a lot was on his mind…and on the line. He nervously wiped his palms on his pants.

"So what do you think?" Pepper asked with a wide smile.

His dear-in-the-headlights look told Pepper he had no idea what to think. Tony, ever thinking in his own world about his next creation. She shook her head, but waited anxiously for his response. Which was sure to be a good one. "Um, I think that whatever you think sounds good to me." He smiled with hopes that she would accept his answer.

"So you would be ok with me leaving to Asgard with Thor on a soul-searching vacation?" She teased.

"What?" He raised his voice and asked perplexedly. "Thor? To Asgard? With Thor?" He shook his head. "That's a terrible idea. One of the worst ones you've ever had." He rambled. "Why would you need to find your soul, anyway? Are you unsure about something? Is it me? Did I do something?" Tony stopped skating and pulled her with him to rest against the wall. His confusion and worry only intensified when Pepper laughed.

"That was great." She said in between catching her breath. Her soft curls fell forward as she struggled to stop laughing. Tony stared at her in confusion. His heart rate sky rocketing from the lack of comprehension he was experiencing. Pepper looked up and tucked her hair behind her ears. "I'm sorry. That was funny."

He shook his head. "I missed something. I know I did. Nothing about what you said was funny, Pepper." His fingers squeezed her hips as he pulled her closer. "Is this part of the not-so-subtle payback? If it is you can have more. In fact, I'll take the twelve percent and you take the other eighty-eight."

Pepper chuckled again and wrapped her arms around his neck. She had known him for many years now, had probably been in love with him for nearly as long, and yet she still felt something warm inside when they shared moments like this. In public or by themselves, being near each other, the light touches and loving glances amidst friendly banter- it was all perfect. "Careful Stark, as CO-CEO I am authorized to write up a document that would legally bind you to that proposition." She teased.

He smiled. "Legally binding huh. I might like that." His smile soon faded when he realized that she had yet to explain her fascination with giving him a heart attack. "What was so funny, Potts?"

She chuckled softly before she placed a soft kiss on his cheek. "I had asked you what you thought about maybe getting another tower started out here in California. You seemed distant, so I changed the question when you finally came back from…wherever you were." She shrugged. "I felt like pulling your leg."

"That is a dangerous trick, Ms. Potts." Tony paused. "I'm sorry my mind wandered for a bit there. I've been thinking a lot lately." He smiled apologetically.

"About?" She lifted the lapels of his coat to shield his face from the cool sea breeze.

"Quantum mechanics, this CEO that drives me absolutely insane, the String Theory, said CEO's close proximity…" He grinned. "I could go on forever." Tony's genuine smile caught stuck Pepper. Her own smile unavoidably came through while her heart raced at the sight before her. "Pepper I…"

She pulled him by his coat and kissed him before he could finish voicing his thoughts. They stood wrapped in each other's arms as others skated past them with wide smiles. Their lips busy exploring the pleasantly familiar territory of each other's mouths. "How did we go so long without doing this before?" Pepper mouthed when they broke for a breath of crisp air.

Tony grinned. "I don't know about you, but it was very hard for me to keep my comments…thoughts…to myself whenever you were near."

Pepper laughed. "Oh that was you restraining yourself?" She shook her head and hugged him with her head nestled under his chin. "I wonder what it would have been like if you hadn't been so adamant about denying yourself the liberty to speak your mind." He laughed softly.

"I've painted a pretty detailed and stimulating picture in my head."

"Keep it to yourself." They both laughed.

"Spoil sport."

The sound of a horn made them jump in each other's arms. Others around them reacted the same way at first, but quickly realized the sound was made to announce the new year had arrived on the East Coast. Everyone cheered and an excitement fluttered within them in anticipation. Tony and Pepper smiled happily as they stood in place.

"Hey! Let's go check out the ice sculptures!" The voice of Clint had Pepper and Tony turning their heads to spot him skating towards them. "Come on love birds. Can't you guys keep your hands off of each other for two minutes?" He teased.

"Yes we can. But I'd rather not. Besides, I'm the kind of guy who gets bored if his hands aren't doing something." Tony stated while he looked down at Pepper and winked.

"Wow. Too much information, Tony. Thank you for that." Bruce shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose with eyes tightly closed.

Betty shook her head at the exchange as well. "Anyway, do you guys want to join us?" She questioned the pair.

Pepper unwound her arms from his body to turn and face the group. "You guys go ahead." She took hold of Tony's hand to lace their fingers together. "I'm taking Tony with me." She beamed. His brows knitted together.

"Is _that_ code for something?" He joked. Pepper elbowed him softly in the ribs. Again.

"Alright guys. We'll see you." Natasha stated as she exited the rink with the rest of the group behind her.

Tony pulled at Pepper's hand to turn her around. Her smile widened when he looked at her curiously. "What plans do _you_ have?" He asked her.

"I just want to have fun." Pepper shrugged teasingly before she kissed him and exited the rink herself.

* * *

They walked hand in hand down the long corridor. Picture frames and doors past them on either side as they made their way to what appeared to be the end of the path. Tony observed Pepper curiously out of the corner of his eye. He wondered what and when she had planned whatever it was she planned to carry out.

A low rumbled could be heard as the music and celebration continued on several levels up. Aside from that, he could literally hear her breathe. Sometimes he longed for nothing more than an entire day of peace with Pepper cuddled next to him. It was a welcomed silence to his ears.

But he could only go so long without talking. Even if it was to lighten the mood. "You know…they say this ship is haunted, Pep." He looked around the hallway in an attempt to spook her.

Pepper huffed confidently and continued to lead them until she stopped at the very last door on the right. "So I've heard."

He smiled at her as he looked down into her blue eyes. "You're not scared." He stated rather than asked.

She shook her head. "I don't care."

"Wow. I'm actually turned on right now." Tony pulled her close to his body. She grinned up at him. "What if I told you that I'm scared. Will you protect me?"

"Always." She kissed him soundly.

He was just about to get lost in her when she opened the door behind them. Without breaking their kiss, Tony walked them back into the stateroom and closed the door as he backed Pepper into it. He smiled into their kiss when he heard a small moan escape her mouth. "I like your way of thinking." Tony spoke in regards to her booking a room for them.

"There's more." She moved from his lips to his jawline just below his ear.

An involuntary shudder made its way down his body. "Oh?" He urged her to continue by caressing her warm skin with his cold hands.

"We can fly now if you want." She proceeded her exploration of his neck with her lips.

"You're amazing, Potts. You know that right?" A giddy Tony spoke through gritted teeth.

"I mean in the suits."

"What?" Tony closed his eyes when she kissed his pulse point. Completely oblivious of her words.

"Turn around." Pepper spoke, almost daring him to break his hold on her.

Tony was an admirer of challenges.

Tony was also an admirer of Pepper Potts.

Which presented him with the dilemma he currently battled in his head. Part of him wanted to accept her challenge because he was, after all, a curious soul. A bigger part of him however, sought to stay in the arms of the only woman he was willing to damn curiosity for. The latter part of him won out as he made sure the lock on the door was engaged.

Pepper laughed on his skin when she heard the resounding click. Her body fought her as well. She wanted nothing more than to feel his skin on hers, but she was also excited to show him her interest in flying with him. So she forced herself to push him away. His sad pout amused her. "Turn. Around." She grinned.

With a heavy sigh, Tony did as he was instructed. When his eyes came to rest upon the two shiny suit cases, his pride soared. Virginia Pepper Potts was not only the most amazing assistant, CEO, planner, organizer, person in the world. She was now also the most amazing girlfriend…soul mate in the entire universe. He swiftly spun to meet her eye. "You want to fly the suit?" The excitement clearly etched on his face.

She responded only with a nod.

"I'm excited." He flaunted a cheeky grin. "In more ways than one."

Pepper laughed and shook her head. "Not surprised. Which is why I'm choosing when we fly. Otherwise we might never leave this room."

"Call it, beautiful." Tony knew she was right. He could never choose his suits over Pepper. Not willingly. Not anymore.

"Now." She walked towards the bed where her suitcase lay beside his. "Let's fly right now."

* * *

They flew together over the city, and even up the coast to Malibu and back. To say that Pepper had fun was an understatement. She was thrilled. Not only because she was experiencing something so new and so unimaginable, but because she was doing so with Tony by her side. Having witnessed his excitement for their joint escapade made her immeasurably happy.

Now, after what could have been hours (because neither of them had kept time), they landed on the roof of the Aquarium. Their faceplates lifted to reveal satisfied smiles on both of their faces. "That was incredible, Tony." Pepper's feet clanked as she turned to face him.

Tony's own metallic feet sounded as he walked to her. "What can I say, I aim to please." He stated boastfully. He clasped her gloved hands in his. "I take great pride in knowing my lady enjoyed herself."

"I truly did." She leaned closer in an attempt to kiss him. They struggled to find the right angle, and eventually laughed when their helmets would not grant them another inch. "I foresee this will become an issue of great concern for me." She spoke through their fit of laughter.

He nodded. "I can fix that. Consider it not an issue."

It was not long after that that Happy drove up to the front of the Aquarium waiting for the pair to make their way down. Tony made sure to give him a location where they could land away from the people to avoid any commotion. They walked towards the limo, Tony carrying both suitcases, when Happy opened the door for them. "Have fun?" He asked them with a smirk.

"Definitely." Pepper nodded happily before she stepped in.

She made herself comfortable on the seat while Tony and Happy placed the cases in the trunk. "So?" Happy questioned Tony under his breath careful about Pepper listening in.

Tony shook his head. "No go." They slammed the door shut.

Happy smiled and shook his head. "I knew you'd chicken out, boss." He walked towards the driver's door.

"I do _not_ chicken out, Hogan. You're fired...again."

"Whatever you say." He saluted him as they entered the limo and made their trip back to the ship.

* * *

The couple arrived to find their friends enjoying some tubbing runs on the Chill level of the ship. Laugher surrounded them as kids and grown ups made their way down the icy hills.

A few seconds of observing was all it took for Pepper to pull Tony towards the entrance of the attraction. Tony wasn't going to fight it, the night had been perfect so far, and he saw no need to change that. "If I get frostbite, I fully expect to care for me, Pepper."

"Deal." She laughed.

"Hey guys!" Betty smiled as she made it to the top with her inner tube. Her face was red from the cold and from her laughing all the way down. "Are you guys ready?"

Pepper nodded. "Where's Bruce?"

"Here." He fixed his glasses as he came up to meet them.

Tony chuckled as he retrieved the inner tube from the attendant."That's a good look for you, big guy. Flushed and tussled hair. Sexy." He teased.

"Zip it, Tony." He walked towards Betty who already sat on her tube.

Tony set the tube down for Pepper and she sat waiting for him. "Race?" Tony asked.

Bruce shook his head in disbelief. "Is everything a competition to you?"

"Yup." He answered quickly as he settled in behind Pepper. "So?"

"We're in." Betty answered for both of them.

"I'm glad one of you has the guts in your relationship." Tony joked.

"Just go, Stark." Bruce urged. "On three."

"One." Pepper started with a grin.

"Two." Tony continued with a determined look down the hill.

"Three!" Betty shouted as both couples pushed themselves off the top and raced down towards the end.

Tony gripped the handles at his sides tightly while Pepper subconsciously held the material of his pant legs. The laughed as they hit bumps and jumped up on the tube. The cold air from the ice making their eyes water and their cheeks red.

"You're going down!" Bruce yelled as he leaned forward to increase their speed. Betty laughing her heart out.

All four of laughed as they saw the bottom approach them quickly. "Not if I can help it!" Tony released the handles and leaned forward with Pepper to improve their aerodynamics.

People rooted as they realized the teams that were 'competing'. They jumped and shouted. The race was close as the two tubes slid side by side. It wasn't until the end that Bruce and Betty pulled away slightly to beat Tony and Pepper by an inch. "Yeah!" Bruce and Betty cheered together as they came to a stop.

Tony and Pepper's tube came to a halt right beside them. The two of them laughed as they leaned back to breathe. They stood carefully and walked over to their friends to shake hands. "Good race." Pepper hugged Betty.

"I think you cheated." Tony chuckled. "You weight more than me." He pointed at Bruce.

"What?" Bruce laughed. "Sore loser. Rematch?"

Tony breathed in and shook his head. "No. I think I want to go at it with Pepper." He smiled back at her. She raised her eyebrows in a_you-really-want-to-go-there_ manner. He nodded at her silent question.

"Alright. We'll judge." Bruce suggested.

Pepper sat on her inner tube at the top as Tony grabbed his own and positioned himself for take-off. They turned to look at each other. Both determined to beat the other in a friendly show of superiority. "Any bets?" Pepper asked.

Tony pretended to be deep in thought.

She cut in before he could state his terms. "If I win, I get to take you to the stateroom right after we finish the race." She bit her lip to try and convince him.

He swallowed the lump in his throat, but recovered smoothly. "And if I win, you say yes." He smirked.

"What?" Pepper knitted her eyebrows.

"Ready?" Tony smiled and looked forward.

"Wait. Say yes to what?" She sat confused.

"Go!" Tony pushed himself off the top and laughed at his beautiful redhead.

"Tony!" She shook the confusion out of her head to push herself as well. She leaned forward to try to catch up to him.

The two tubes slid fast down the ice and the pair looked to the imaginary finish line and back towards each other. Tony looked over his shoulder and smiled smugly when he realized he could beat Pepper. Her tube was a few feet behind his despite her perfect form.

"Here they come!" Betty pointed.

"Tony's got this one." Bruce shook his head.

They raced down the last few feet. Pepper closed the distance. Tony leaned forward a bit more. She yelled out his name. He chuckled. The crowd roared once again.

"Tony wins!" Betty and Bruce shouted over the cheers.

The tubes somehow ended up sliding down the same line. Tony's comes to a complete stop as Pepper's continues down directly towards his. He turns to place the front of the tube before him for cushion. She braces for the impact and closes her eyes tightly in anticipation.

Bruce and Betty look horrified at what could end up being a serious collision. Gasps emanated from the crowd.

He avoided his natural instinct of closing his eyes in order to keep and eye on her. She yelped loudly as the tubes hit. Tony thanked his 'always correct' calculations as he judged where she would be thrown after the impact.

Pepper breathed hard as she expected to hit solid ice, but was surprised when she felt a strong pair of arms embrace her instead. She was a bit confused and wondered if someone had caught her when she flew up in the air. Her eyes opened slowly and she realized she had not been thrown up, but forward to land right in Tony's arms.

She sighed thankfully and closed her eyes. Tony's laugher brought her out of her thoughts. "Ouch." He uttered through his chuckles. "That hurt my ribs." He continued to laugh.

Pepper was a little taken back by his reaction. "What's so funny?" She looked down at his face. "We could have been seriously injured." She couldn't help the light slap at his shoulder.

Tony just laughed. "That was _fun_." He wrapped his arms tighter around her lower back.

A smile broke out on her face as his laughter intoxicated her. "You're an odd one, Stark."

"Maybe." Tony caught his breath. "But I'm also the winner. Which means I win. Which also means that I won the bet." He finally opened his eyes to look up at her confused blue orbs.

"Your bet was unclear. I can't agree to it without understanding." She shook her head.

Tony grinned widely. "It _was_ clear. Just say yes."

Pepper glared at him. "Say yes to what?" She raised her eyebrows.

"To me." She looked perplexed. He smiled as he reached in his pocket for the object he held there for a better part of the night. He cleared his throat. "Marry me." He raised the ring up for her to see.

The crowd and their friends, who somehow all ended up as onlookers through the ordeal, gasped.

Pepper's own breath hitched in her throat from the sudden shock of the question. Her eyes glistened with tears as she rested above the man she loved. Her look went from the ring to Tony's smiling face. She wanted to speak, but found it hard to do so. So she chose to nod slowly before she cleared her throat. He nodded back at her to confirm she had just agreed. "Yes." She finally managed to answer him. "Yes." She repeated. The crowd clapped and cheered for them as they heard her reply.

Tony exhaled in relief as he kissed her lovingly. She smiled against his lips when he smoothly, and without looking, slid the gold titanium diamond ring onto the correct finger. "I told you it was clear." He spoke through several pecks. "I love you."

Pepper giggled and nodded with her lips still on his. "I love _you_."

If someone hadn't cleared their throat, the couple would have stayed there. On his tube. In each other's arms. Engrossed in their kiss. When they heard it though, they separated to look up at Rhodey. "Way to go, buddy." He smiled at them.

"Thanks, Platypus." Tony smiled up at his friend.

"Not that I want to keep you from your activities, because I probably couldn't even if I wanted to, but we have three minutes before midnight. And we were all kind of hoping we could celebrate without feeling the need to continue looking awkwardly at you two making out." He finished.

Pepper's face instantly reddened and she hid it in the crook of Tony's neck. "Gotcha." Tony nodded in agreement as he hugged Pepper tightly. She slowly stood and waited for Tony to join her. They walked towards the crowd and turned to look up at the sky.

The music on the dance level stopped. The crowd stood silent as they waited for the official time keeper to start the countdown on the intercom.

Tony looked at Pepper who happily waited for the show. He laced his fingers with hers and sighed as he felt the ring against his finger.

"Twenty seconds!" The man yelled over the system.

Everyone readied themselves. Couples embraced, parents held onto their children, and friends stood around.

"Ten!" He began.

"Nine!" Everyone on the ship joined in.

"Eight!" Not only could you hear the people aboard the ship chant, but the people on the street, the ones on the beach, and even the substantial crowd gathered at Pine Square as well.

"Seven!" Several smaller craft stopped near the Queen Mary to count down alongside of them, and to enjoy the show.

"Six!"

"Five!"

"Four!"

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

"Happy new year!" Everyone chimed at once as the ship's blow horn rang in the new year. Fireworks soon shot up into the sky from the stern of the ship. People cheered and clapped as others kissed and hugged.

Tony and Pepper faced each other as they locked lips and hugged. "Happy new year, Tony." She kissed him again.

He in turn poured his soul into it as he hugged her and lifted her slightly off the ground. "Happy new year, Pep."

No one could have separated the two. Not even an act of God. They embraced each other tightly without any desire to let go. And they didn't. Not for anything. Because they were officially prepared to face the new year together. As one. As it should be. Forever.

**There you go! I hope you enjoyed it. If you are at all curious what Long Beach, CA and the Queen Mary look like, I recommend you GoogleMaps it on Satellite image. One of my favorite places to go during my summer nights. ****_Risks and Consequences_**** will be updated this weekend so stay tuned! P.S. Another trailer for Iron Man 3 is coming out! Don't miss it on Super Bowl Sunday! New poster is also out! I'm beyond excited...**


End file.
